A Prayer Service Dedicated to the National Holiday of Tsagan Sar Was Held at the Central Khurul of Kalmykia

The festive prayer service began with the ritual “Tsogt Okn Tengrin shinin balng örgh yosn” (Lhamo tsetor) — the ceremonial offering of torma to Palden Lhamo. During this ritual, the monks offer prayers to Okn Tengr, thank her for protecting the Buddha's Teaching and the Kalmyk people, and ask her to continue extending her patronage in the future.

Before the start of the prayer service, the abbot of the Central Khurul, Andzha Gelong, addressed the audience with words of greeting. He congratulated all the residents of Kalmykia on the arrival of the spring holiday and read out the greeting address of the Shajin Lama of Kalmykia, Telo Tulku Rinpoche. The believers were also congratulated by the Head of Kalmykia, Batu Khasikov.

During the prayer service, the monks together with the believers recited the prayer in the Kalmyk language “Baazr Dari,” which was distributed to everyone present.

In the days before the celebration, extensive preparatory work was carried out. The staff of the khurul, together with volunteers, carried out a thorough cleaning of the Dugan — the large prayer hall — decorated the altar area, and the monks prepared special offerings — “torma.”

Upon the completion of the ritual, at 12:00, the premiere of Roman Sukhostavsky's series “A Few Days in the Life of the Golden Abode of Buddha” took place on the YouTube channel “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni.” The series consists of 5 parts and covers several days of work at the Central Khurul of Kalmykia “The Golden Abode of Buddha Shakyamuni.” The main protagonists of the film are the Honorary Representative of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Russia, Mongolia, and the CIS countries, the head of the Buddhists of Kalmykia Telo Tulku Rinpoche, as well as the monks and staff of the Central Khurul who work for the benefit of reviving the Buddhist religion traditional to the Kalmyk people. The film shows the great tantric prayer services that took place in the autumn of 2020 during the pandemic and tells about the fundamentals of the Buddha's teaching, monastic life, the resolution of pressing tasks, and the results of the 15th anniversary of the Central Khurul of Kalmykia.