Elista is a city of Buddhism and chess. Almost all of the attractions have something to do with one of these topics. And, of course, nature in Elista is also interesting - a real Kalmyk steppe.
City-Chess. This is a nice cottage village, where everything is dedicated to the ancient logic game - chess. On the territory you can see many chess sculptures, and the central place is occupied by the Chess Palace. The palace hosts chess tournaments and competitions of various levels. On one floor of the palace there is a chess museum, where more than 3000 exhibits on a chess theme are collected.
Buddhist temple “Golden abode of Buddha Shakyamuni. Kalmykia is the only territory of Buddhism in Russia, not counting Buryatia. Elista is home to two of the largest Buddhist temples in Europe. Around the temple there is a beautiful garden where you can see the statues of the great Buddhist teachers. There is also a 9-meter statue of Buddha. If you wish, you can get to the service. Lamas recite mantras in Tibetan. In the temple you can visit the Museum of the History of Buddhism.
Lenin Square. On this square, the "Pagoda of Seven Days", the "Three Lotus" fountain, a prayer drum are installed, and a granite chessboard is laid out in the center. The prayer drum was brought by the Dalai Lama from India and is filled with 30 million Buddhist mantras. The "Pagoda of Seven Days" is surrounded on all sides by small pools and looks very unusual in our country.
Memorial complex "Exodus and Return". The monument is dedicated to the deportation of the Kalmyk people to Siberia and is cast in bronze. A capsule with earth from the places where Kalmyks were exiled was laid under the monument. In addition to the monument, the memorial complex includes a railway carriage standing on the rails that lead to the mound. It was on such a carriage that Kalmyks were transported to Siberia.
Stupa of Enlightenment. This is a Buddhist religious building, a repository of relics. A stupa with a height of 11 meters was built above the altar room. The stupa is surrounded by 8 ropes with prayer flags. The stupa contains relics, jewelry, texts of mantras and prayers.
