Buddhist temples in St. Petersburg. Buddhist Temples in Russia

To date, about one percent of Russia's population is Buddhist. Buddhism is a widespread world religion, but very little is known about it in Russia. Buddhist temples on the territory of our country are also few. This is due to historical and political reasons. The most famous are the Buddhist temples in St. Petersburg, Buryatia, Kalmykia, the Irkutsk region and the Trans-Baikal region. With their exotic beauty, they attract not only Buddhists from Russia, but also pilgrims from around the world, as well as tourists who are far from this religion. Consider the most famous similar temples of our country.

Buddhist Temples in St. Petersburg

Today, guests and residents of St. Petersburg can visit a rather unusual for Russia landmark - a Buddhist temple. It is known as Datsan Gunzehoyney and became the first such institution in Europe.

Initially, the adherents of this religion began to appear in St. Petersburg in the 18th century, when the Peter and Paul Fortress was being built. At that time there were still few Buddhists in the city, only about 75 people (in 1897). In the first decade of the twentieth century, their number grew to almost two hundred people. Among them there were many foreigners who came from the countries of the East, as well as Buryats, Kalmyks and representatives of the trendy Buddhist current - neo-Buddhism.

History of St. Petersburg Buddhist Temple

The number of Buddhists grew rapidly, but these people did not have their own temple where they could pray. In 1900, the Buryat lama, Avgan Dorzhiev, who was a representative of the Dalai Lama in Russia, received permission to build the first Buddhist prayer chapel in St. Petersburg. The money was donated by the Dalai Lama himself, as well as believers from all over Russia.

However, the construction of the datsan (Buddhist temple) began only in 1909. The architects were Baranovsky G.V. And Berezovsky NM, who created their project in accordance with the canons of the architecture of Tibet. The construction of the temple was also under the supervision of a specially created committee of Oriental scholars.

The construction of the datsan was fraught with many difficulties and was completed only in 1915. Despite this, the first services there were already in 1913.

In 1915, the temple was consecrated, and the abbot became Avgan Dorzhiev. However, he did not act for long for religious purposes. The Soviet period became a difficult time for the Buddhists of Russia. Already in 1916 they began to leave St. Petersburg. In 1919, Datsan Gunzachoynai was plundered, but in the 1920s and 1930s he again began to function for religious purposes. In 1935 the temple was finally closed, and all Buddhist monks were repressed.

During the Patriotic War there was a military radio station in the temple, and only in 1968 the building of the Datsan was declared an architectural monument, and in 1990 the temple was handed over to Buddhists, and he again began to work for religious purposes.

Datsan Gunzehoynay in our days

If you want to visit Buddhist temples in St. Petersburg, then you should definitely pay attention to Datsan Gunzehoynay. It is the largest Buddhist landmark in the city. There they come with lectures of the teacher of Buddhist philosophy from Tibet. The monks of the temple daily pray for the health of the living and for the happy rebirth of the dead. Also here you can make an appointment with an astrologer or a doctor - a specialist in traditional Tibetan medicine.

Today anyone can visit this institution. The Buddhist temple of Datsan Gunzahoynai works every day from 10.00 to 19.00 (a day off - Wednesday). The temple has an official website on the Internet, where you can find out the schedule of all the molebens and khuralas taking place there. You can visit this Buddhist temple for free. Photo and video shooting inside datsan is prohibited.

Certainly, the temple will amaze you with its beauty and oriental flavor. In the territory you can see an interesting attraction - Buddhist drums, filled with sacred grass and paper, on which 10800 times the mantra "Om Nam Padme Hum" is written. To attract happiness, you need to rotate each drum at least once.

In addition, you can visit not only Buddhist temples in St. Petersburg, but also communities of followers of this religion.

Buddhist temples in Moscow

Today in Moscow live about 20 thousand people professing Buddhism. However, they do not have their own church, and there are only religious centers. By 2015, two buddhist temples are planned to be built in the capital. The first will be located on Poklonnaya Hill, and the second - in Otradnoye.

Both churches will be built on donations. They will complement the already existing religious complexes in those places, which currently consist of Orthodox churches, Jewish synagogues and Islamic mosques.

The first temple, which will be located on Poklonnaya Hill, will be dedicated to Buddhists who died in the Great Patriotic War. On the first floor it is planned to build a chapel for monks, and on the second floor - to organize an exhibition dedicated to the heroes of the Patriotic War.

Ivolginsky datsan in Buryatia

One of the most famous Buddhist temples in Russia is the Ivolginsky datsan. It is located in Buryatia, a few hours drive from Ulan-Ude. This place is of great importance for pilgrims not only from Russia, but also from all over the world.

Ivolginsky datsan was erected in 1945 and became the first Buddhist temple, opened in the Soviet era. Today anyone can visit him. Here excursions are organized specially for tourists. Ivolginsky Buddhist temple, photo of which is given below, very few people can remain indifferent. On the territory of the datsan you can take pictures, twist special prayer drums and buy souvenirs.

Other Buddhist Temples in Russia

Another well-known Buddhist temple in Russia is Khambin Khure, located in the city of Ulan-Ude. It is a large Buddhist complex, consisting of several temples and office buildings. At one of them there is a university where students can learn the art of drawing Mandala. The main temple of the Tsogchegan-dugan complex was consecrated in 2003 and today it regularly conducts traditional religious services.

Also, the attention of the pilgrims is attracted to the Buddhist temple Rimpoche-Bagsha, the Aginsky datsan, located in the Chita region, the Atsagatsky datsan near Ulan-Ude and Datsan of the Barguzin valley.

In Kalmykia are located: the Temple of the Great Victory, the Golden Monastery of the Buddha Shakyamuni, Gedden Shcheddup Choikorling. All of them are unique in their own way.

Despite a small percentage of Russians professing the ancient Eastern religion, in our country one can still find a Buddhist temple. Petersburg, Chita region, Ulan-Ude and other cities have their datsans, some of which were laid many years ago.

During the Soviet era, the ancient Indian doctrine was subjected to numerous repressions, many churches were destroyed, so today there is no Buddhist tradition in the full sense of the word in Russia, and there are a small number of datsans. Therefore, Buddhists, who do not have the opportunity to go to the temple, visit the relevant centers, prayer houses and retreat centers.