Ivolginsky Datsan

Ivolginsky opened in 1945 as the only Buddhist centre in the USSR, and it became the seat of Buddhism in Russia. The site now holds several temples, a university for monks, stupas, prayer wheels and a greenhouse for a sacred bodhi tree, with wooden and painted buildings in Tibetan and Buryat forms spread across flat land under the hills. Its best known feature is the body of Dashi-Dorzho Itigelov, head of the Buddhists of Siberia from 1911 to 1917, who in 1927 according to the tradition entered meditation and died sitting; he was buried in that position, exhumed in 2002 as he had instructed, and found in a state that has been described and argued about since. He is now kept in a temple and shown to visitors on several days a year. Everything here dates from 1945 or later.

History

The datsan opened in 1945 as the only Buddhist centre of the USSR and became the residence of the Pandito Khambo Lama, the head of Russia's Buddhists; the Dashi Choinkhorling Buddhist university was opened beside it in 1991 (Wikipedia, Ivolginsky Datsan).

The main sights

• The 1945 foundation - opened as the only Buddhist centre in the USSR.
• Itigelov - the lama who died seated in 1927 and was exhumed in 2002.
• The temple complex - several halls, stupas and prayer wheels across a flat site.
• The monks' university - the training institution attached to the datsan.

When to go

May to September; winter here is severe. Two to three hours. Itigelov is displayed only on certain festival days.

Good to know

Walk clockwise, do not point your feet at images, and follow the posted rules; photography is restricted. The body of Itigelov is shown only a handful of days a year, and otherwise the temple holding it is closed. The buildings are modern. The site can be crowded on festival days.

Nearby

Ulan-Ude is half an hour away; the Ethnographic Museum of the Peoples of Transbaikal is on the far side of the city.

Key facts