The name Kalmyks comes from Turkic word"Kalmak" - "remainder". According to one version, this was the name of the Oirats who did not convert to Islam.

The ethnonym Kalmyks appeared in Russian official documents from the end of the 16th century, and two centuries later the Kalmyks themselves began to use it.

For several centuries, the Kalmyks caused a lot of anxiety to their neighbors. In the fight against them, Tamerlane's youth passed. But then the Kalmyk horde weakened. In 1608, the Kalmyks turned to Tsar Vasily Shuisky with a request to allocate places for nomadism and protection from the Kazakh and Nogai khans. According to rough estimates, 270 thousand nomads took Russian citizenship.

For their settlement, first in western Siberia, and then in the lower reaches of the Volga, the first Kalmyk state was formed - the Kalmyk Khanate. The Kalmyk cavalry took part in many campaigns of the Russian army, in particular in the Battle of Poltava.
In 1771, about 150,000 Kalmyks went home to Dzungaria. Most of them died on the way. The Kalmyk Khanate was liquidated, and its territory was included in the Astrakhan province.

In the years October revolution and civil war Kalmyks were divided into 2 camps: some of them accepted new system, while others (especially the Kalmyks of the Don Cossack Region) joined the ranks of the White Army and, after its defeat, went into exile. Their descendants now live in the USA and some European countries.

The restoration of Kalmyk statehood took place in 1920, when the Kalmyk Autonomous Region was formed, which was later transformed into the Kalmyk Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic.

Forced collectivization in Kalmykia led to a sharp impoverishment of the population. As a result of the policy of "dispossession" and the subsequent famine, big number Kalmyks. The disasters of famine were accompanied by an attempt to eliminate the spiritual traditions of the Kalmyks.

Therefore, in 1942, the Kalmyks provided mass support to the Nazi troops. As part of the Wehrmacht, Kalmyksky was formed Cavalry Corps numbering about 3000 sabers. Later, when Vlasov founded the Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia (KONR), apart from the Russians, only one ethnic group- Kalmyks.

Kalmyks in the Wehrmacht

In 1943, the Kalmyk ASSR was liquidated, and the Kalmyks were subjected to forcible deportation to the regions of Siberia, Central Asia and Kazakhstan, which lasted more than 13 years.

Soon after Stalin's death, the Kalmyk autonomy was restored, and a significant part of the Kalmyks returned to their former places of residence.

Before the revolution, there were about 190,000 Kalmyks in the Russian Empire. In the USSR, their number decreased to 130,000 in 1939 and 106,000 in 1959. According to the 2002 census, 178,000 Kalmyks live in Russia. This is the "youngest" ethnic group in Europe and the only Mongolian people living within its borders.

Kalmyks have led a nomadic life since ancient times. They recognized their steppe common ownership uluses. Each Kalmyk was obliged to roam with his family. The direction of the paths was regulated by wells. The announcement of the removal of the camp was made with a special sign - a pike stuck near the princely headquarters.

Livestock was the source of the Kalmyks' well-being. The one whose herd died turned into a “baigush”, or “wretched one”. These "wretched" earned their livelihood, hiring mainly in fishing gangs and artels.

Kalmyks married no earlier than the age when the guy was able to independently graze the herd. The wedding took place in the bride's camp, but in the groom's yurt. At the end of the wedding celebrations, the young people migrate to the nomad camp of the newlywed. According to tradition, the husband was always free to return his wife to her parents. Usually this did not cause any displeasure, if only the husband honestly returned back along with his wife her dowry.

The religious rites of the Kalmyks are a mixture of shamanic and Buddhist beliefs. Kalmyks usually threw the bodies of the dead into the steppe in a deserted place. Only at the end of the 19th century, at the request of the Russian authorities, they began to bury the dead in the ground. The bodies of the dead princes and lamas were usually burned during the performance of numerous religious rites.
A Kalmyk will never say simply: a beautiful woman, because in Kalmykia they know four types of female beauty.

The first one is called "Eryun Shashavdta Em". This is a woman of moral perfection. The Kalmyks believed that good thoughts and feelings, a pure state of mind are reflected in the state of the human body. Therefore, a woman with pure morality could heal people, heal many ailments.

The second type is "nyudyan khalta, nyuyurtyan gerlta em", or literally - a woman "with fire in her eyes, with a radiance in her face." Pushkin, driving through the Kalmyk steppe, apparently met precisely this type of Kalmyk enchantresses. Let us recall the words of the poet about this Kalmyk woman:

... Exactly half an hour,
While the horses were harnessed to me,
My mind and heart occupied
Your gaze and wild beauty.

The third type is "kyovlung em", or a physically beautiful woman.

Kalmaki. An analysis of the sources allows us to say that the word kalmak, apparently, first appears in the Zafar-name by Sheref ad-din Yazdi, where it is written that after the expulsion of the khans of the Yuan dynasty from Beijing, only the indigenous regions remained in their possession - Karakorum and Kalmak . In the same chronicle, it is reported that at the reception of Amir Timur, when his headquarters was in Otrar, among the foreign ambassadors was a representative from the Kalmaks, Tayzioglan, a descendant of Ogedai-kaan. In the writings of Mirza Muhammad Haydar, with reference to earlier sources, it was noted that Genghis Khan transferred his ancestral lands, consisting of Karakorum and Kalmak, to Ogedei. And from the annals of Rashid-ad-din it is known that Ogedei got the lands from Kangai to Tarbagatai, i.e. former possessions of the Naimans.

The next time information about the Kalmaks is contained in “Shajarat al-atrak” (the genealogy of the Turks), compiled in 1457, where it is written that Saint Seyid-Ata all the subjects of Sultan-Muhammed Uzbek Khan who converted to Islam, “led to the regions of Maverannahr , and those unfortunate ones who refused ... and stayed there, began to be called Kalmak, which means "doomed to remain." ... For this reason, from that time on, the people who came were called Uzbeks, and the people who remained there were called Kalmaks. The conflict that arose in the Golden Horde on religious grounds is described in the essay “Continuation of the Collection of Chronicles” by Rashid ad-din, written at about the same time: “The reason for the hostility of the emirs to Uzbek was that Uzbek constantly demanded that they convert to orthodoxy and Islam and encouraged them to do so. The emirs answered him to this: “You expect humility and obedience from us, but what do you care about our faith and our confession, and how will we leave the law (tur) and charter (yasik) of Genghis Khan and go over to the faith of the Arabs?” He (Uzbek) insisted on his own, but they, as a result, felt enmity and disgust towards him and tried to eliminate him ... ". As a result, Uzbek Khan, secretly gathering an army, defeated his opponents. There is also a short piece of news in the work of Abd-ar-razzak Samarkandi about the arrival in January 1460 of ambassadors from the Kalmyk land and Desht-i-Kipchak to Khulagid Abu-Sa'id Khan in Herat. Other sources report a major defeat inflicted in 1461-1462. Kalymak taishi Uz-Timur Shaybanid Abulkhair Khan. Some details about the relationship between the Mughals and the Kalmaks (Oirats) are given in the work of Mirza Muhammad Haidar "Ta'rih-i Rashidi". The following information about the Kalmaks and their neighboring peoples is available in the work of the Ottoman writer Seyfi Chelebi. They mostly belong to the 50s-70s. 16th century The country of the Kalmaks, as he wrote, “is located on one side of Khitai. The name of the ruler is Ugtai, nicknamed Altun. So, the word kalmak (and its variants) appeared in the writings of Muslim authors no later than late XIV centuries. For comparison: in the works of European travelers, the 2nd half of XIII in. (Plano Carpini, Wilhelm Rubruck, Marco Polo) the names Tatars, Mongol (Moal) and also Oirat (in the forms Goriat, Voyrat) were used, Kalmak is not found. AT geographical significance the Turkic term "kal-mak", in combination with the words "land, camp", was used in relation to the Ulus of Ogedei, which included the territory of Altai, which is the ancestral home of the ancient Turkic tribes. In the ethnic sense, the word Kalmak was originally applied to people living in the original, indigenous land of their ancestors (Altai-Kangai). In the writings of Muslim authors, it was also used in relation to the peoples (tribes) that adhered to the old norms and customs inherited from the times Genghis Khan. So, in the period of exacerbation political struggle in the Golden Horde, this word was applied to representatives of the old steppe aristocracy. Approximately from the middle of the XV century. the term Kalmak (Kalmyk) was assigned to the Oirats and other non-Muslim peoples of Dzungaria and neighboring regions of Mongolia. In the writings of Russian authors, the word Kalmak (Kalmyk) began to be used from the 16th century. After the founding of the cities of Tobolsk and Tomsk, the Russian governors entered into direct contacts with the Oirat (“Kalmak, Zengor”) taishas, ​​whose nomads reached the lower reaches of the Irtysh and the left bank of the Ob. Since then in official Russian documents in relation to the Upper Ob Telenguts and other tribes between the Ob and Irtysh rivers, the terms “White Kalmaks” and “Black Kalmaks) began to be used”. The Upper Ob Telenguts were called whites, the princes of which periodically concluded original military-political agreements with the West Siberian governors, as with representatives of the “white king”. After the resettlement in the 1710s. most of the Telenguts near the Ob deep into the territory of the Dzungar Khanate began to use the terms Zengor (Zongar) Kalmaks, Zengor Kankarakol Kalmaks, etc. After the accession of Gorny Altai to the Russian state in 1756-1757. Altaians (Telenguts, Uran-Khaits), former Dzungarian subjects, were called Altai Kalmyks in official documents and literature. However, they continued to call themselves Telengets and Oirots, along with local-territorial names. The paradoxes of history The paradoxes of history are such that the ethnonym Kalmyks (Khalmg) was assigned to the descendants of the Torgouts and Derbents, who migrated at the beginning of the 17th century. from Dzungaria to the Lower Volga region. And, capacious and fanned with glory, the word Oirat (Oirot) now no nation officially calls itself. However, the historical memory is alive, and now the word Oirats is perceived as the ethno-cultural community of a number of Mongolian-speaking peoples living in Mongolia, China and Russia.

Nikolay EKEEV, Director of the Budget scientific institution"Scientific Research Institute of Altaistics named after. S.S. Surazakov, Republic of Altai, Russian Federation

The Kalmyks are the only Mongolian-speaking people in Europe who profess Buddhism and are a representative of the culture of nomads. Central Asia is considered their homeland, ancestors - western mongols, who were engaged in cattle breeding and roamed the steppe in search of the best pastures.

The history of the people dates back to the end of the XVI - early XVII century, when the separated part of the Oirats tribe moved to the lands of the lower reaches of the Volga, to the territory modern Republic Kalmykia, where they became part of the Russian Empire. Kalmyks are born riders and successful warriors.

Currently, their number is about 200 thousand.

Culture and life of the people of Kalmykia

Spiritual culture was formed for centuries under the general Mongolian and Oirat traditions, and then it was influenced and introduced new features by strengthening ties with other peoples of Russia. Thus, ancient traditions, enriched by the influence of historical transformations, became the core of modern culture.

By the beginning of the 18th century, thanks to researchers, the first mention of the epic folk art of the Kalmyks appeared. The main monuments of this creativity were the epic "Dzhangar", which reflected in itself historical events from the life of the people, and a song about how the Mongolian Ubashi-hun taiji fought with the Oirats in 1587. According to the plan, it stands next to the song "About the exploits of the hero Sanala" and represents one of the poems of "Dzhangara".

(Kalmyks in traditional dress)

According to the Russian orientalist and Mongolian scholar B. Ya. Vladimirtsov, it expresses the national spirit, aspirations, hopes and expectations of the people. shown real world, everyday life, but presented as an ideal. That is why it is a folk poem.

"Dzhangar" contains several thousand poems combined into independent songs. They glorify the battle of heroes with foreign enemies for the freedom and independence of the people. The feat of the heroes of this epic is to protect the country of Bumba - an illusory place where there is always a peaceful sky, a sea of ​​\u200b\u200bhappiness and peace.

Another monument of the folk epic is the "Legend of Geser". It also celebrates the fight for justice.

(Yurt)

The people have always praised in their oral epic ordinary person as unusually brave, resourceful and infinitely kind. On the other hand, the greed of secular rulers, feudal lords and clergy who steal from their own people is ridiculed. They are presented in a ridiculous, comic way. And a simple person with worldly wisdom is always ready to oppose the arbitrariness of the oppressors, protecting those who are poor and destitute. And victory will always be his.

Customs and holidays of the Kalmyks

New Year

Zul - (originally the 25th day of the month of the Cow) in its modern form, which has become the New Year - is the oldest holiday, so loved by the people. It has more than 6 centuries. It is celebrated on the day of the winter solstice (December 22), when the length of the day increases. In Kalmyk "zul" is a lamp or a lamp. Lights are lit on this day everywhere - in temples, houses, on the streets. It was believed that the stronger the flame, the more energy goes to the sun. And that means it will get hotter. In the temples, they used to tell fortunes on lit torches - for a good year. Gifts to Buddhist deities were left on sacrificial stones.

The coming of spring

In early March, Tsagan Sar (white month) is celebrated. Congratulations are heard all around on the end of the cold and hungry time. Preparations are underway for resettlement to new pastures, they are waiting for the offspring of livestock. The elders take food from the younger ones. In ancient times, people gathered near the temple and waited for the dawn. A common prayer was performed as soon as the first rays of the sun pierced the heavenly surface. Offerings were made.

The main holiday of summer

The unity of earth and water is celebrated by the people in June at the full moon. The deities were cajoled by plentiful offerings so that the grass on the new pastures would be juicy and rich, the cattle would be well-fed and healthy, which means that the people would be satisfied and provided. A ceremony was performed: all the cattle gathered, and the owner sprinkled milk and koumiss on their heads.

Tulip Festival

This holiday can be called the youngest. It was introduced at the beginning of the 90s by the president of the young republic. The holiday is celebrated on the second Sunday of April, when the entire territory of Kalmykia is covered with a colorful blanket of tulips. On this day, all the youth walks, there is a performance of dance groups. And the ensemble "Tulip", which introduced the whole world to the beauty and diversity of the Kalmyk folk dance, gives a performance in the open areas of the city.

Not so often in Europe there are people who speak Yi, almost all of them live in the Republic of Kalmykia. The Kalmyk people came to the lands that were once called. After their arrival in the 17th century, this territory became known as the Kalmyk steppe. Today it is the Republic of Kalmykia. The map shows its exact location.

Story

Unusual people - Kalmyks. The history of the people is rooted in the past. It starts from Asia. Kalmyks are from the Western Mongolian tribes called Oirats. They, in turn, entered the vast Mongol empire created by Genghis Khan. He managed to unite almost all the nationalities living at that time in the territory of Central Asia.

The Oirats supported Genghis Khan in his aggressive campaigns to Russia, the Caucasus, China, Asia and Korea. At the same time, groups were created military units in which duties were inherited. Over time, these divisions developed into ethnic groups that still exist today. Today, they may not have the same significance as they used to, because in more associated with conquest. For example, there is a group of torgouts. This was the name of the people who made up the guards of the Mongol khans. The Hosheut group consisted of those who were in the front of the army, the Derbets are a cavalry army.

The Mongol empire was huge. Internal turmoil was the norm here. Over time, they became the cause of its split. The Oirat khans refused to submit to the Great Mongol Khagan.

The foundations of the religion of the Kalmyks

Until the 17th century, the Kalmyks practiced shamanism. But the active work of missionaries from Tibet contributed to the fact that the majority of Kalmyks adopted Buddhism. But even this did not help to preserve the integrity of the Mongolian people. Internecine wars continued. Nevertheless, Buddhism, Lamaism spread widely in the territory of modern Kalmykia.

The Kalmyk Khanate was part of Russia until 1771. In the early stages of its existence, Russian rulers did not attach much importance to internal device. The religion of the Kalmyks was their freedom of choice, and the state did not interfere in their culture. But over time, the rulers of Russia began to take action and encourage those who converted to Orthodoxy. Kalmyks who underwent the rite of baptism were allowed to leave for other cities and villages in Russia.

Late 18th century Russian state intensified intervention in inner life Kalmyk Khanate, gradually limiting the rights of the Kalmyks, and in 1771 it was completely eliminated. At the same time, the Russian government carried out a reorganization of the administration of the Kalmyks. The traditions and rights of the Kalmyk people were fully preserved. When the Expedition of Kalmyk Affairs was created, which was engaged in the management of the uluses. Later, in 1847, the fate of the Kalmyk people depended on the Ministry of State Property.

Kalmyks. Religion

The Russian government tried not to put pressure on the Kalmyk people in matters of their conversion to Christians. Before the revolution, the Kalmyks retained the rights of the Buddhist clergy, which were laid down as early as 1640. Over time, the Kalmyks began to convert to the Orthodox faith. Religion began to spread rapidly after the opening of a theological seminary in Astrakhan, since Kalmykia was territorially part of the Astrakhan diocese. Then the Russian government took steps to create a mission to convert the Kalmyks to Christianity. In the middle of the 19th century, the missionary movement reached its apogee. The Kalmyk language began to be taught in theological seminaries. In 1871, the Orthodox Missionary Committee began to exist, through the efforts of which a school was organized and an orphanage was opened where Kalmyks could live. Religion profoundly changed the fate of the Kalmyk people. People could get a decent education. Over time, the school turned into a huge missionary school, where teachers and preachers were trained, who were supposed to transmit spiritual knowledge in the Kalmyk settlements.

The Kalmyks were not particularly active in accepting such revolutionary innovations. Buddha remained the main God for the majority of the Kalmyk people. Orthodoxy was represented mainly by immigrants from Russia. The Kalmyks did not want to change their deep traditions. Religion was also difficult to change. What religion do Kalmyks practice? There is no definite answer to this question. Among the Kalmyks there are Orthodox, Buddhists, and even shamans.

Difficulties of the Kalmyk people

The coming of the communists to power had a favorable effect on the history of the Kalmyk region. It was they who restored unity and returned statehood to the Kalmyks. 1926 marked the beginning of the Kalmyk Autonomous Region, which later became known as the Kalmyk ASSR. But the religious life of the Kalmyks at that time suffered greatly. Any religious activity was severely oppressed. In spiritual terms, the Kalmyks experienced unprecedented difficulties. Religion was completely eliminated by the mid-1930s. In 1943, the Kalmyk people were deported to various parts of Russia. And the Russians came to their territory. And only 10 years later, the Kalmyks were again able to return to their land. The Kalmyk ASSR has regained life. But there was no legal religion on the territory of the settlement until the 80s. Spiritual oppression was nevertheless felt by the Kalmyks. The religion of Christianity began to revive only in 1984. The beginning of this was the opening of an Orthodox parish in the village of Priyutnoye. This marked the transition of Kalmykia to Kalmykia. New communities began to appear among the Kalmyk population, such as Baptists and Pentecostals. There is also a Buddhist community in Kalmykia, which was formed back in 1988.

Features of Kalmyk culture

Despite numerous difficulties, the Kalmyks never forgot their traditions. The religion and culture of this people have always been connected by an invisible thread. Kalmyks were difficult to convert to the Christian faith. Age-old traditions made themselves felt. After all, for many years shamanism was practiced on this earth. This cannot be torn out of the heart of a real Kalmyk. The peculiarity of the culture of this population is reflected in the Mongolian settlements today. Modern Kalmyk society is gradually losing its traditional affiliation, but still there are customs that have survived to this day.

Traditional Features

Fire for Kalmyks is considered a sacred element. It is mentioned more than once in the ritual works of the people of Kalmykia. The deep traditions, rituals and culture of the Kalmyks allow us to speak of them as an independent ethnic group.

Fire for the Kalmyk people was considered the personification of the God of the Sun. Therefore, there are some prohibitions here, for example, stepping over fire or spitting on it is considered a sinful act. Do not extinguish fire with water. It is necessary to wait until it goes out on its own. It is allowed to cover the fire with sand or earth.

Worship of fire was considered a special ritual. The Kalmyks even performed certain rituals to propitiate the fire. It was a kind of sacrifice. The cult of fire is a national feature of the Kalmyks. It is described in many historical works. Not a single wedding or funeral could do without a fiery sacrifice. And today you can see the ceremonies in which the priest offers the animal to the fire and reads special prayers. For this, he asks the blessings of the Gods to grant happiness in the family life of his daughter.

The funeral rite also does not take place without a fiery sacrifice. On the seventh and forty-ninth days after the burial, the relatives of the deceased must sacrifice a ram to the fire, thus feeding the deceased relative. Kalmyks sincerely believe that fire is a kind of conductor between the living world and subtle matters.

fire worship

Kalmyks firmly believe that fire has divine power. That is why not a single cleansing rite can do without the participation of fire. Such rituals are described even in classical works. For example, in the work of A. Amur-Sanan, a fiery rite is described that protects travelers on the road. A handful of salt is poured into the burning fires. Then cattle are passed between two fires, and a wagon is already driving behind them. Today, Kalmyks also cleanse their dwellings with fire, carrying it around the house from east to west. After the funeral, one should also perform a cleansing ritual with fire, holding hands over it.

Paganism and Buddhism are strongly intertwined in Kalmyk culture. Paganism speaks of fire as a representative of the Sun God, more precisely, in paganism this is the Sun God himself. Therefore, he should sacrifice all foods that are of a warm nature. It can be oil, fat, hot liquids. The Buddhist tradition presents fire as a symbol of wisdom. It is believed that with its help you can burn any ignorance.

The nature of the Kalmyk people

Kalmyks, like other ethnic groups, have their own unique character. First, they are very open. Such people are called extroverts. Secondly, they are practical and rational. The Kalmyks also have a certain maximalism. Kalmyk always strives for big things. He will not waste his attention and time on the implementation of small projects. Globality, grandiosity and scale - all this is reflected in the heart of a real Kalmyk.

Kalmyks are a rather original people. Whenever possible, they strive to show their individualism and draw as much attention to themselves as possible. At the same time, the Kalmyk people have great respect for the pride of other people.

Kalmyks are active, energetic and artistic. This can be judged not only by their movements and national dances, but also by their speech. Kalmyks speak lively, flexibly, fluently and concisely. In some sources, Kalmyk speech is compared with machine-gun rhythms.

Almost all Kalmyks are optimists. They always focus on positive moments in life, in any person tend to notice only positive qualities. All works of the classical folk epic had an exceptionally positive outcome.

Nomadic peoples have always sought to glorify. The desire to be leaders in any business is also inherent in the Kalmyks. This people is very proud, but not proud. Buddhism has somewhat cleared the consciousness of the Kalmyks, since pride for a Buddhist is a mortal sin.

Since Buddhism is considered one of the main religious trends in Kalmykia, quite a lot of Buddhist temples have been built in the republic.

Temple of the Great Victory (Kalmykia). Description

One of the largest Buddhist communities lives in the Oktyabrsky district of Kalmykia (the village of Bolshoy Tsaryn). Here is the most majestic Buddhist temple in Kalmykia - the Temple of the Great Victory. Buddhist religious buildings are called khuruls. This khurul was erected in 2002. In just 2 years, the builders managed to bring to life the project of Yu. I. Sangadzhiev, who is considered the best architect in Kalmykia. On October 11, 2002, the doors of the Temple of the Great Victory were solemnly opened. Khurul was built thanks to donations from the Buddhist community itself, residents of the Oktyabrsky district and sponsors. Ilyumzhinov K. N. also invested his own funds in the construction.

The temple is an 18 meter building. The central part is occupied by a prayer hall in which the altar is located. Monks live in front of the khurul. There is also a room for receiving visitors by a lama. The Buddha statue appeared thanks to the efforts of the sculptors V. Vaskin and S. Korobeynikov. The central entrance is decorated with the wheel of the Teaching and deer figures made by Galushkin Nikolay.

Also in khurul is a statue of the Buddha of Medicine and a huge collection of Holy Scriptures and tank.

There are several more Buddhist temples in Kalmykia that are of interest to tourists.

Elista - the center of Buddhist culture

Elista is the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia. The map shows its location.

This is an unusual city, completely different from most cities in Russia. It is decorated with Buddhist temples and colorful buildings of oriental architecture. The people living in Elista also have an Eastern outlook. Connoisseurs Eastern culture Elista is definitely worth a visit. Here is the most majestic Buddha temple, famous throughout Europe. There is also a Buddhist monastery here, a favorite place of the Dalai Lama during his visits to Kalmykia. Elista has another amazing attraction - the Golden Gate, which fulfills all desires. Elista is an incredibly colorful city. Kalmyks are a bright people. Here you can feel it to the fullest. Beautiful national costumes, dances - all this distinguishes the Kalmyks from other Asian and Mongolian nationalities. Elista is famous not only for Buddhist buildings. There are also attractions dedicated to chess.

The fact is that chess is considered the main hobby for Kalmyks. World chess championships are regularly held here.

Temple "Golden Abode of Buddha"

This khurul is considered one of the largest not only in the Republic of Kalmykia, but also in Europe. The temple occupies a place of honor in the very center of Elista (Yuri Klykov Street).

The height of khurul is 56 meters. Inside it rises a huge statue of Buddha (12 meters).

The temple is considered the main attraction of Elista. This is not only a beautiful and majestic building. This is a place for performing rituals and deity worship. The temple is surrounded by a symbolic fence, along the perimeter of which there are 108 stupas. You can enter the temple through the South Gate. There are three more entrances. Each of them is located in a certain part of the world. The architecture of the temple resembles a huge mandala. Approaching the building, you can see seventeen pagodas, on which statues of great Buddhist monks and teachers rise.

Khurul has 7 levels. On the first level there is a museum, a conference hall and a library. On the second level there is a statue and a prayer hall. The statue itself serves as a repository for jewelry, incense, earth, plants and cereals. All these Buddhists consider sacred objects. The statue is covered with gold leaf and diamonds. The third level is intended for individual reception of visitors. Here are the rooms of monks, doctors Tibetan medicine, astrologers and temple administration. On the fourth level there is a small conference room. Here you can also find the head of the Buddhists of the Republic of Telo Tuluku Rinpoche. The fifth level is occupied by the residence of Tenzin Gyatso (His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama). The sixth level is occupied by premises for household needs. Only clerics can ascend to the seventh level for immersion in meditation.

Until now, we have had very incorrect and inconsistent information about the Kalmyks and, in general, about all the tribes that came out of Asia. Venerable Father Iakinf with translations from Chinese language the first of the Europeans made up for this deficiency and not only resolved many dubious places in the ancient history of the Eastern peoples, but also introduced us to many things that we did not know. Using his reliable Historical review of the Kalmyks, according to their joint residence with the Cossacks, and for a greater explanation of the history of the Don army, I think it is decent to place here a few information about the Kalmyks assigned to the Don army, and in general about all Kalmyks roaming within the Caucasian region and Astrakhan province.

Origin of the Kalmyks.

Kalmyks or Kalmaki, as they are called by the Turkestans, the essence of the indigenous people Zhungaria, Mongolian tribe. According to the Chinese chronicles, in the third century BC, the Mongols lived in the current Tarbagtai district under the rule of the house Huns(Huns), and the Ili region to occupy was the people Se, after Yuezhchi and Wusun, one by one coming out of the northwestern border of China and pushing each other further to the west. In the first century according to P. X. Huns, who lived in Khalkha, with their relatives retired to the west beyond the Altai, but here, pressed by their enemies, whom the Chinese Court tirelessly armed against them, they went further west and around 377 attacked the Alan, the Gotfs and the Romans. At the close of the fourth century, when Huns surprised the European peoples with their ferocity, and Attila established his capital on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, then from the borders of China again came to Tarbagtai, where Huns, strong Mongolian generation Thule. This generation, divided into 15 new tribes, soon spread east to the peaks of the Selenga, and north to the Tunguska River. In 401, the most powerful and numerous tribe came from the borders of China Ruzhan, which conquered Khalkha and Zhungaria. From these migrations it follows that the Mongolian generations should be revered as the ancestors of the current Kalmyks. wusun, Thule and Ruzhan, and not the Huns themselves, who, as the previous one shows, can be called the siblings of the Kalmyks.
Having indicated the true origin of the Kalmyks, we will keep silent about the events of that great upheaval, whose terrible power overthrew all the thrones of Asia and drowned them in the blood of the defenders. Glorious deeds Genghis Khan and Temur Aksaka do not relate to the subject we have chosen, we will only say that when one of the descendants of Genghis, Togon Temur, due to civil strife, was forced, leaving the throne Chinese Empire, retire to their homeland, Mongolia (in 1367), then three strong Zhungar generations: Choros, khoshot, Torgot and later joined them Durbot made an alliance with each other called Oirat, against Elutea occupied under the successor Togon-Temur Khan Golzi position tai chi. Each of the four allied tribes had its own independent Khan, who were the Khan of the Choro house, calling Oirat, recognized as the head of the union. In 1449 the Oirat Khan esen, in the Kalgan Valley, in one battle he beat half a million Chinese warriors so that not a single Commander, not a single Minister remained alive on the Chinese side - everyone drowned in the blood of their warriors, the Emperor himself was taken prisoner. With death esenya, treacherously killed in 1453, power Zhungar Oirats you could say it died. With the fall esenya The Oirats refused to participate in the common affairs of an entire people and limited the circle of their actions to the limits of their own possessions. For this reason, their internal incidents from esenya before Khara-Hula little known for 150 years.

Appearance of the Kalmyks on the border of Siberia in 1620.

To the board Khara-Hula The Oirats undertook to expand their possessions not with weapons, but with a new way of conquest - resettlement. As a result of this Gushi Khan went with part Khoshotov to the southeast and occupied the Tangut lands near Lake Khukhonora, then took possession of Tibet. Kho-Urluk with the Torgots turned to the west and in 1620 spread his nomad camps from the banks of the Ob to the peaks of the Tobol. Such an unexpected appearance numerous people amazed the border Siberian governors, who, in the course of 1621 and 1622, without doing anything, tried to find out in detail about the internal state of these newcomers, who were called Kalmaks, the Turkish name for this people. Ho-Urluk, honoring the lands of the former Kuchumov Kingdom as a long-standing property Elyutov, came to establish a new State on them, just as Gushi Khan founded in Huhonor. Ho-Urluk, feeling that with his military benefits he was not able to take fortified places protected by firearms, for a long time and constantly kept a peaceful disposition towards Russia. But other Princes of Torgota, according to the custom of nomadic peoples, began to send embassies to the Siberian governors, even to Ufa, in order to receive gifts under insignificant pretexts. great desire see Moscow. The Kirghiz, Telenguts and Uryankhais had long been bored with the Russian Court with such embassies, why in 1623 the Kalmyk Envoys were not allowed to visit Moscow, and ordered to satisfy their desires in the border Siberian cities. This measure extremely offended the Princes of Torgot, but they, not daring to openly show hostility against the Russians, turned all their revenge on the Siberian Tatars, who succumbed to Russia. Remembering the right of the former dominion over these Tatars, they began to collect yasak from them: they robbed, ruined, dragged into captivity and gradually, further and further penetrated into the interior of Russian possessions. The Siberian governors, considering it imprudent to stop them by force, presented [this?] to the Russian Court, from where this hostility of foreigners to the Russians originated. Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich respected this idea and in 1632 again allowed to strengthen peaceful ties with the Kalmyks through mutual embassies.
As a result of this permission, someone, the son of Boyarsky, was sent from Tyumen to the Kalmyks as an ambassador. Ho-Urluk joyfully and affectionately received the long-desired ambassador, assured him that he wished to live in friendship with Russia, and sent his ambassadors with him to Tyumen to confirm this assurance with an oath. From this embassy it was clearly revealed that, in addition to the desire for gifts, the Kalmyks wanted from the Russians to exchange things necessary for themselves for their cattle; and this need forced them to cherish the friendship of the Russians. Despite the peacefulness of the Khan, the Appanage Princes, as independent owners, in 1634 attacked the Russian industrialists with 2,000 cavalry, forbidding them to take salt from Yamyshevsky Lake. Encouraged by this little success, Ombo and Yalji, sons of one of the Specific Princes kuishi-taijia, devastated the Tara district and decided on the impossible for them - to take Tara. During this siege, unusual for the Kalmyks, they suffered a great loss in people; on the arrival of help from Tobolsk, the inhabitants of Tara came out of the fortification, defeated them in an open field and took away from them all the booty they received during this raid. Another detachment of Kalmyks, under the command Dalai Taijia, invaded the Tyumen district and carried out many murders and robberies in it; but he was careful and, not approaching the city, calmly returned home with full booty. The Siberian governors were ordered to frighten the Kalmyks with a general attack on them, therefore, having united the Toboltsev, Tartsev and Tyumentsev at Ishim, in 1635 they went on a campaign; but, wandering for a long time in the steppe, they could not find them anywhere.

Kalmyk settlement between the Volga and Yaik. 1636.

From their unsuccessful raids in Siberia, the Torgoths saw that it was difficult for them to challenge dominance over Siberia from Russia, and it was impossible to remain on the borders of it, with a lack of free pastures. For this reason Ho-Urluk set out to leave Siberian border, to settle on the steppe between Yaik and Dolgoi, about the situation of which he collected the necessary information in advance. To achieve the proposed goal, long before the resettlement to the Volga, Ho-Urluk entered into a secret relationship with Nogaisky Murza Sultan, through which he tried to persuade other Nogais to secede from Russia. The Nogais, true to their oath, did not agree to contribute to his plans, and the Kalmyk Khan undertook to force them to do so with weapons. But as his first attack, in 1633, did not have decisive consequences, he moved from the Siberian borders to the peaks of Emba and Ora with all his nomad camp. Having subjugated many tribes of the Turkmens and Chzhembulutsky Tatars, who roamed on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea and across the Emboi River, he also subjugated the Nogais, who, among 40,000 wagons, lived on the steppe between the Yaik and the Volga. Thus the intention of the Oirot Khan Khara-Hula - expand their possessions by resettlement - partly fulfilled. Oirot possessions occupied the whole of Central Asia between Siberia and India, Chinese possessions and the Volga. head of the union Bator-Hon-Taiji ruled northern Zhungaria, in the south Gushi Khan ruled Tibet, and Ho-Urluk with 30,000 men at arms and 50,000 wagons of the warlike generation of the Torgoths, who reached the borders of Russia, and, being in connection with Botor Khan, intended, apparently, to follow in the footsteps of the Huns and repeat the atrocities of the Tatar hordes still remembered by the Russians. But the times were not the same anymore - the permanent troops, the military border guards of the Dontsov and firearms vouched for the peace of Europe.

The defeat of the Kalmyks on the Astrakhan steppe in 1643.

Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich, wishing to calm his State with a lasting peace, constantly followed his peace-loving policy: do nothing where you can lose something, except as a last resort; and therefore here, too, he tried with profitable offers, affection, gifts to bend the Kalmyks under his power. Ho-Urluk with my sons, Daichin and Ildyn, went in 1640 from Yaik to Zhungaria, where the rulers of Northern Mongolia, Khalkas and Huhonor, were invited for consideration and approval Steppe Code, compiled by the chief Oirot Khan Bator Hong Taiji. In 1641, Toboltsy and Tyuments intended to attack the Kalmyk Khan on his return journey from Zhungaria, but they did not find him at the place where they were supposed to find him. Ho-Urluk, upon returning to his new independent state, did not think about citizenship Russian State. The king, having exhausted all peaceful means in order to prevent the consequences of the accumulation of a numerous warlike people at his borders, ordered to subdue them with the weapons and art of his troops. The Kalmyks, who caused great harm to Russian subjects with their quick, sudden raids, were finally defeated in 1643 by the troops that made up the Astrakhan garrison. In this battle Ho-Urluk with most of his sons and grandsons he died, and after this, his uluses were exterminated; and the Kalmyks, humbled by the fear that was useful to them, did not dare to disturb our frontier inhabitants for a long time. Sim single defeat the tranquility of this country was forever ensured, for the Kalmyks were convinced by experience that it was much more profitable for them at night, sneaking up, accidentally dragging something or, jumping out from behind a bush, slaughtering someone by surprise, rather than fighting Russian troops in an open field and taking them fortifications with one saber in hand.

The Kalmyks swear allegiance to Russia. 1655.

Upon the death of Ho-Urluk, he was succeeded by his eldest son Shukur-Daichin. This Khan went to Khlassu (Lassa) to receive a blessing from the Dalai Lama, on his way back from Tibet he stopped by Zhungaria to take his grandson with him Ayuku, who was brought up by Botar-Hon-Taiji, who was also his maternal grandfather. Shukur-Daichin began to act bolder than his father. This Khan was not satisfied with the subjugation of the Nogais, who depended on Russia, who roamed the Yaik steppe, but began to resent other Tatars, who roamed on the right bank of the Volga, who, at the instigation of the Khan, having committed various rampages near Astrakhan, Temnikov and other Ukrainian cities, fled from fear of revenge on the meadow side and voluntarily succumbed to the Kalmyks. Although the merciful Tsar, back in 1643, declared them guilty of forgiveness and invited them to return to their former nomads, but they, together with the Kalmyks, did not stop until 1655 to raid Astrakhan, robbed, burned, ruined uchugs, killed and took Russian subjects into captivity , Circassians and Tatars of Nogai, Idisan and Yurt (i.e. settled). Shukur-Daichin, knowing that the robberies committed by his Kalmyks would not remain without retribution, resorted to the policy of nomadic peoples. According to the custom of the ancestors, honoring the oath and loyalty as a means to receive gifts, and oath-breaking and treachery - empty words, [he] hurried through the intermediary of the Boyar and the governor Prince Grig. Sunchaleevich Cherkassky to ask for the grace of being a subject of Russia. As a result, in 1655, in the presence of Dyak Ivan Gorokhov, the Daichinov ambassadors swore allegiance to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich of the Kalmyk people and swore an oath of eternal allegiance. Kalmyk Princes Dural, Seryn Taiji and Chuikur swore allegiance to taiji Daichina, lazzana, San-chzhaba, Punchuk and Mergen, for their relatives and all the Ulus people, and at the behest of Daichinov, they pledged with a shert record: 1) To be with the Russian Tsar in eternal obedience. 2) Do not have relations and connections with enemies and traitors to Russia and do not defend them. 3) By order of the Sovereign, go with the Russian troops against the enemies of Russia and serve in the war without treason. 4) Do not rob, kill or take Russian subjects prisoner, and lag behind all previous falsehoods. 5) All Russian subjects taken in this year 1655, and before, to be extradited and presented with their property to Astrakhan. 6) The traitors of the Tatars, who went over to the Taishs in the Uluses, if any of them wish to return to Astrakhan, be released without detention and henceforth do not entice any subjects of Russia, and do not accept those who voluntarily come, but send them back. 7) Those sent from the Russian Government to the Kalmyk Uluses on Sovereign affairs should not be dishonored and released without the slightest delay. This chart record presents a true picture of that time and everything that was and should have been; it shows that the Kalmyks, in order to ensure their lazy life, did not undertake to pay yasak, but to satisfy their nomadic inclination to predatory, they willingly swore to serve against the enemies of the Tsar.
From this time begins joint service, mutual robberies, quarrels and alliances of Kalmyks with Don Cossacks. Without repeating what was described in the History of the Don Host (Part I, str. 188 et seq.), we will only mention here what the Kalmyks committed separately from our Donets, or what I did not find in the acts of the Don Host.
The Russian Court, having accepted the Kalmyks as subjects, had in mind to find strong help in them against their enemies in the southeast, and the Kalmyks, as we shall see, justified this hope. In 1661, in order to refrain the Crimeans from the incessant invasion of our Ukraine, when the Russian Court, by virtue of the first shert record, demanded that the Kalmyk owners of the troops, then Daichin through attorneys concluded with Dyak Yves. Gorokhov the following military treaty: “Send the Kalmyk army to Crimean Tatars, have no relations with the Crimean Khan; send the Crimean captives to Moscow, the Kalmyks use the spoils of war, and represent the Russians returned from captivity to Astrakhan or in the next Russian cities; for the service, be content with what the Sovereign is pleased to please. At the bottom of this entry Punchuk tai chi, the son and heir of Daichin, hand-written wrote in the Kalmyk letter: “and with the Don Cossacks Fedor Budan according to our Daichinov and Punchukov our kindred person believed by command Dazan-Kashka that to hunt over the Crimean people and over their uluses to our military Kalmyks and the Don Cossacks for one thing, and not to repair any tricks between themselves.
The Kalmyks did not respect the sanctity of the treaties to such an extent that the Russian Government in the same year was forced to draw up a new treaty with them and oblige them to fulfill it with a special oath. To this end Punchuk Taiji(December 9) having moved in with Boyar Gr. Suncha Cherkassky in the Berekete tract, gave a new coat for his father, Daichin, and for all the other Kalmyk Taishas, ​​also for the Nogai, Idisan, Yambulak, Mailibash and Zinzilin Murzas, and, scourging, kissed his God Borhana, Bichik(the holy book) and licked the rosary, and put his saber to his throat. In this entry, all the articles of the first sherti of 1655 were repeated, and added to them: “Do not have any relations with the Turkish Saltan, with the Kazyl-Bash (Persian) Shah, with the Crimean Khan and the Azov Bey; do not unite with peoples hostile to Russia and do not lend weapons, and do not lend horses, and do not give people to help, as before they gave people to help the Crimean Khan and loaned horses.

The reign of Ayuki Khan. 1672–1724

How many years ruled the Kalmyks Shukur-Daichin and after him his son, Punchuk, about accurate information we do not have, because at that time the Russian Court did not yet have influence on the election and approval of the Rulers of the Kalmyk people. But as from the letter to the Don, November 5, 1672, it is clear that the Kalmyks Ayuki Hana together with the Don Cossacks fought near Azov, it follows from this that Ayuka in this year, or shortly before, he entered the administration of the Kalmyks. This Ayuka, who caused harm to Russia not so much by his service as by his tendency to plunder, was one of the most famous Kalmyk Rulers, who became famous on the banks of the Volga and Don with his happy exploits of robbery.
In 1673, during the war that opened with the Port, the Government, wanting to take advantage of the noticed ability of its new subjects, passionate for booty and, moreover, excellently brave, set out to oppose them to the Crimean and Kumyk Tatars. To fulfill this, the Boyar and Voevoda, Prince Yakov Nikitich Odoevsky, personally had negotiations with the Khan Ayuki, as a result of which the Khan swore for himself and for the whole people to eternal allegiance to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. But how our rapprochement with the Kalmyks gradually changed mutual relations, therefore, in the shert record of 1675, on February 27, committed at the Salt River, 5 versts from Astrakhan, the following were added to the articles of the sherti of 1661: 1) captured Russians, whatever nation they may be, to extradite from the Uluses with a payback. 2) Kalmyks who left for Russian cities, excluding those who accepted the Christian faith, should be returned to Uluses. 3) Captured Christians who left Bokhara, Urgench and Khiva, to pass through Uluses to Russia without detention; and those who are found in the Uluses, let go to Russian cities. 4) Send people to the Royal Majesty on their own business in a small number. 5) Have the Kalmyks bargain with the Russians and go to Moscow to sell horses. 6) Ayuki with the Kalmyks and their Tatars, go to the Kumyk Owners, with frequent raids, together with the Don Cossacks, disturb the Turkish garrison in Azov; and after that, in the same spring, go to war against the Crimea with a numerous militia. 7) For military service, be content with him, Ayuki, with Taishami the reward that will be sent from the Sovereign, besides the annual salaries that you still receive. And how shortly before this Kalmyk taishi, Ablai and Dural, carried out robbery in Russian villages, then with real sherti they still obliged Khan Ayuki hand over those mentioned by Taisha to the Russian Government.

Robbery in Bashkiria and along the Volga. 1676–1682

This new oath, due to the frivolity characteristic of a semi-savage people, was violated at the first favorable opportunity in such a way that the Kalmyks would not be obligated to be faithful. When in 1676 the Bashkir foreman Seit aroused the whole of Bashkiria to a rebellion, named after him Seitovsky, then Khan Ayuki, without any reason, except for the passion for predation, almost with all his Taishas and Nogai Murzas rushed to the robbery. At this time, although Ayuka sent several of his troops to royal service, he himself, with most of his men at arms, terrified the regions adjacent to him, except for the Don land, to which he did not touch, of course, for the reason that there was still something to rob in the neighborhood. The provinces of Kazan and Ufa and several villages and uchugs along the banks of the Volga were devastated, merchants and industrialists were robbed, trade was stopped, and many Russians, Cheremis and Bashkirs of both sexes were taken prisoner by the Kalmyks. This robbery continued until 1683, in which, with the cessation of the Bashkir rebellion, the Kalmyks also subsided.
In order to protect the frontier settlers from the devastating raids of the Kalmyks, the Government decided to take the strictest measures. For this, in 1683, Ayuki with other Taishas, ​​he was called to Astrakhan, where at a congress at the Salt River in the presence of the Boyar Prince Andrei Ivanovich Golitsyn, he took a new oath of eternal allegiance to Russia and pledged: 1) to serve His Royal Majesty faithfully, as his grandfather served Him Ayuki, Daichin and his father Punchuk. 2) Russian people taken prisoner in past years: before 1682 and in 1682, having gathered in their uluses, present everyone to Astrakhan; Let Bashkirs and Cheremis go home. 3) Severely punish and rob those who carried out robberies along the Volga. 4) From now on, Ayuki, with Taishami by no means to carry out raids. 5) The rebellious Bashkirs, if they appear in the Kalmyk Uluses, should be handed over to the Russian Government. 6) If from the Crimea or from any other States Ambassadors or sheets are sent to the Kalmyk Taishas on any matters, then inform about the sent persons and send letters to the Russian Court. Ambassadors, envoys and those sent back without the Royal Decree should not be released and in response to the sheets sent without the Royal command, do not write. If it pleases the Tsar's Majesty, then those Ambassadors, Envoys and those sent to him with their messengers should be escorted to Moscow or Astrakhan, where it will be ordered by the Tsar's Decree. 7) Who among the Kalmyks voluntarily wish to accept the Christian Faith, those Taishams and Ulus people do not demand back and do not ask the Sovereign for them.

Destruction of the Kirghiz horde. 1696

According to the strict and precise execution of all the articles of this treaty, the Kalmyks were pacified in such a way that for a long time after this there were no shert records by which the Kalmyk Taishi would be obliged to refrain from raids within Russia. But it happened, of course, because Ayuka he found it most advantageous for himself to turn his weapons for Yaik to the Kirghiz-Cossacks, whom he mercilessly robbed and, moreover, subjugated the Manmolak Turkmens to his power. After these feats, which glorified his name in Central Asia, he received, as one should think, the title of Khan from the Dalai Lama, became arrogant in his manner and more autocratic in governing his subjects. At his Court, the Sultans of Kuban, Khiva and Cossacks appeared; even Abul-Khair, who later was Khan in the Lesser Kirghiz Horde, in honor of himself, put to serve at his Court.

Internal events.

In continuation of the war with the Kirghiz, which was happy for the Kalmyk weapons, they came from Zhungaria to Russia Black Kalmyks(as independent Kalmyks were then called in Russia), under the leadership of their Taijia Tsagan Bator; but to what generation these newcomers belonged and in what number of wagons they came, the details of seven at that time were overlooked. It is only known that Tsagan Bator and his children, through the embassy, ​​asked in Moscow for their acceptance into citizenship and for permission to roam between the Volga and the Don; but Tsar Feodor Alekseevich ordered Prince V.V. Golitsyn to allocate the steppes on the Lugovaya side of the Volga near the Akhtuba River for roaming.
The steppe, irrigated by the Volga and Yaik, provided the nomadic peoples with many conveniences for pastoral life, and the close proximity of rich cities and villages flattered their predation so much that even in the reign of Daichin they came from Altai to the Volga: Khoshot Taiji Khundulyn-Ubashi from 3000 wagons; around 1670, during the reign of Punchukovo, Dorji-Rabtan, Ayukin's own aunt with three thousand wagons; and in 1673 or 1674 Durbotsky Sonom-Seryn-Taiji with son Mongke Temur brought with him 4,000 wagons. Thus, the rulers of the Volga Kalmyks, strengthened by new aliens, recognizing themselves as subjects of Russia, did not interrupt their ties with other Oirat Houses in Zhungaria and relations with China and Tibet: with the first by kinship, with the latter by religion, and with China by political affairs. The Russian Court knew about these connections and did not forbid having such relations, which, in essence, had no contact with political relations Russia to other states. Considering it useless and tedious to count all the private, domestic relations of the Volga Kalmyks with the Zhungars, we will mention only those that were in connection with the important political events of that time in the East.
Khan Ayuki issued for Tsevan-Rabtan, Choros Khan, his daughter, whom one of the brothers escorted to Zhungaria. Later, Ayuki himself traveled to Chzhungaria and brought from there to the Volga the remnants of the Torgoth generation, which forced the head of the Oirats, Tsevan-Rabtan, to exclude the Torgotovs from the quadruple union and replace them with a generation Hoyt. In 1701, Ayuka, on the conviction of his mother Dharma Balls, relatives of the chief Khan, having collected 15,000 wagons from different destinies, under the leadership of her son Sanzhaba sent to Zhungaria. This military assistance to the head of the alliance, which was then at war with the Chinese Empire, upon arrival in Ili remained there forever. The Peking Cabinet, in spite of this sign of kind, kindred consent, set out to quarrel between father-in-law and son-in-law and arm the peoples of the same tribe against each other. To achieve this goal, the Chinese Ministry brazenly assured Khan Ayuku as if Tsevan Rabtan cleverly lured over San Zhaba and by force he kept the 15,000 wagons brought by him, and sent him back to Russia. Although this fiction, based on greed Ayuki, and failed, but this political scene, by the nature of Eastern diplomacy, lasted ten years and ended with the Beijing cabinet receiving detailed information about Russia from Ayuka for several inexpensive gifts, and Ayuka saved his nephew Rabchzhura from ten years of forced Chinese hospitality.
From the Don History, readers could notice that the Ayukin Kalmyks, probably for the reason that other neighbors were already ruined by them, began to attack the Cossack towns from 1695, the Khan himself was sent with the Crimean Khan, delivered food supplies to the Azov Bey, and the Cossacks with their the parties even before 1695 began to accept Kalmyks for eternal life and began to disturb the Zavolzhsky Uluses with raids. Mutual ruin, during the early childhood of the Tsars, continued with bitterness, and the Cossacks and Kalmyks robbed on the Volga and on high road merchant caravans burned and slaughtered each other, so that, according to the complaint of the Don Ataman, the Kalmyk Cossacks were sitting as if under siege and did not dare to go out to work in the field; but Pyotr Alekseevich became sovereign, conquered Azov, and the riders resigned themselves. The fear of imminent punishment laid down for the raids by the treaty of 1685, the strict measures of caution and vigilant supervision of the Governors of Astrakhan and Azov, and even more so the attention of the Government to the needs of the Kalmyks so soon weakened their tendency to unrest and disposed them to obey the laws, that when Pyotr Alekseevich undertook first trip to Holland, then Khan Ayuka had already acquired such a power of attorney that he was preferably entrusted with the protection of the southeastern borders of Russia. On this occasion, Boyar Prince Boris Alekseevich Golitsyn, on July 17, 1697, concluded an agreement with Khan Ayuki, which is supposed to: 1st. In the event of a campaign against the Bukharans, Karakalpaks, Kirghiz-Cossacks, supply Khan Ayuka with artillery. 2nd. Decrees to prescribe in Ufa, on Yaik and in the Don towns so that the Cossacks and Bashkirs do not start quarrels with the Kalmyks, and forbid them to do this under the death penalty. 3rd. Annually give Khan Ayuki 20 pounds of gunpowder and 10 pounds of lead. 4th. For each Kalmyk baptized without a special Decree, pay 50 rubles. 5th. Fugitive Kalmyks - both single and with families - will no longer be accepted or baptized, otherwise also pay 50 rubles each; and 6th. Allow him, Khan, to send his people to the Crimea and the Kuban for booty, and if they, repulsed by the strongest enemy, retreat to the Russian cities, then do not drive them away, but give them help.

Resettlement of Kalmyks to the Don.

Due to the absence of the Sovereign, and even more so because of the turmoil that arose between the Kalmyks, this agreement was not exactly fulfilled. For the Kalmyks, the permission to go to the Crimea and the Kuban for booty was important, but the Governors allowed them to fight the Tatars only when these attacked our Ukrainian cities. The Don Cossacks, having fallen in love with their neighbors for their daring, willingly accepted their fugitives, who, seduced by the free Cossack life, abundance and free meadows; others, avoiding punishment for their crimes, went to the Don from their owners in many families with wives and children and with all their property. Despite the prohibition, a significant increase in Kalmyks on the Don began in 1699. At this time Baahan Taishi, indignant at the oppression of Khan-Ayuki, he asked the Sovereign for permission to transfer his nomad camps to the Don to Cherkassk and serve on a par with other Don Cossacks. Ayuka detained his wife and children, three times, by force or conspiracy, he took away his Ulus people to him beyond the Volga; and although, by order of the Sovereign, in 1706 he released his wife and children to the Don Baahan- Taishi, but his Ulus people with Buduchan, his younger son, not before they were returned to the Don in 1733, where they remained forever.
The troubles that arose between the Kalmyks in 1701 increased the number of those who were looking to join the service of the Don Army. Ayuki's eldest son, Chakdor-Chzhaba quarreling with his father over his wife and uniting with his brothers sanjab and Gundelecom, forced the father with only a hundred wagons to seek salvation and protection in the Yaik Cossack town. Myself Chakdor-Chzhaba with his brothers, in order to hide from the severity of the Russian Tsar and be safe from His troops, he crossed to the left bank of the Yaik. The rebellious children remained there until the Prince Golitsyn, sent by the Sovereign Boyar, reconciled them with their father. Kalmyks returned to their former residence and still subjugated themselves ayuke Khan.
ayuka, dissatisfied with the governors of Astrakhan and Azov, who hampered his autocracy and his free remote crafts, when the Chechens, Kumyks and Nogais attacked in 1707 on Terek Cossacks, Khan Ayuka did not send the promised 3,000 men at arms, and the next year, in 1708, taking advantage of the Bulovinsky rebellion on the Don and a new uprising of the Bashkirs, he released several parties of horsemen, who, having crossed to the right bank of the Volga, caused great devastation in the Penza and Tambov provinces. These fierce robbers, led by Mongke Temur Taiji, burned more than a hundred villages and villages and took many people of both sexes into captivity, who were sold to Persia, Bokhara, Khiva and the Kuban. This robbery forced the Government to oblige Khan Ayuki a new agreement concluded on September 30, 1708, on the Akhtuba River by Astrakhan and Kazan Governor Pet. Mat. Apraksin. By this agreement, Ayuka undertook: 1) By no means go over to the upland side of the Volga. 2) Send 5000 cavalry to the Terek; and 3) Defend all grassroots cities from Astrakhan to Kazan. Finally, the same Boyar Apraksin, near the Danilovka River, 1710 Sept. 5 days, obligated Khan with an agreement, already the last. In addition to 5,000 cavalry, sent three weeks earlier against the Bashkirs, to be released to the Don for eternal residence Mongke Temur Taishu with all his Ulus. Sim 10,000 Kalmyks who belonged to Durbotsky generation (according to the Russian pronunciation of the Derbet Horde), nomad camps along the Manych River are assigned.
The right, obtained by the Kalmyks, to carry out raids on peoples who were fed by the same craft, but did not depend on Russia, produced the consequences that should have been expected. Kuban Sultan Bakhty-Girey, at the beginning of 1715, he accidentally attacked Khan near Astrakhan Ayuki and seized his own wagons with all the property. Myself Ayuki barely escaped with his family by going to the detachment Russian troops, whom Prince Alexander Bekovich Cherkassky led from Astrakhan to the Bohda duct to cover the Khan. These troops stood in line when the Kuban Tatars passed by them; and although Khan asked Bekovich to shoot at them, the Prince refused him under the pretext that he could not do this without the Royal Decree. The wicked Khan immediately came up with a means to take revenge on Bekovich. He secretly informed the Khan of Khiva that this Prince, under the guise of an embassy, ​​was going to Khiva with an army, and according to this news, the people of Khiva secretly prepared to meet Bekovich. It is known that this warrior with his entire detachment died in Khiva in the most unfortunate way.
Shortly thereafter Khan Ayuki reconciled with Bakhty-Girey, and in 1717, when a riot arose in the possessions of the latter, he sent the Kalmyk army to help him, led by his son Chakdor Jaba. This commander, having ruined the uluses of the rebels, took back to the Volga Chzhetysanov and Zhangbulakov, whom the Kuban in the raid of 1715 took with them from the Volga. The same year 1717, Bakhty Giray made a raid on the borders of the Penza and Simbirsk provinces, caused great devastation in the villages there and took with him several thousand people into captivity. When the chiefs of the Volga cities, by which the Kuban people passed, demanded Ayuki troops for protection, the Khan answered that he could not do this without the Decree, since once Bekovich did not dare to shoot at the Kuban Tatars when they robbed Kalmyks near Astrakhan. It should be noted that during this raid Bakhty-Girey served as signs Kalmyks, which Chakdor-Chzhaba left him up to 170 men.
In 1723, at the instigation of the second wife of Khan, there was a secondary indignation in the Kalmyk people, which ended in the ruin of the Uluses. Chaktor-Chzhabovykh children: Dasanga, baksaday and others. In the same year 7, 1725, the Sovereign Emperor Peter the Great ordered all the Kalmyks roaming the Don to be left in Cossack rank, and no longer accept anyone. Finally, famous Khan Ayuka, before old age enterprising, active and courageous, could not bear the last childhood ingratitude and died in 1724 at the age of 90. According to the mindset of the peoples who live by robbery, the Kalmyks lost a great man in him, and this loss was all the more sensitive for them because his disobedient children, having become unworthy to inherit him, deprived the people of the last sign of original independence.

The reign of Khan Cheren-Dunduk. 1724–1735

Upon the death of Khan Ayuki, bypassing his children and grandchildren, he was named and by the will of the Tsar's Majesty appointed Governor of the Kalmyk Khanate Cheren-Dunduk, granted in 1731 to the Khans. Notable among the Kalmyk owners Dunduk-Ombo who accepted the Christian faith Petr Taishin and other grandchildren of Ayuki Khan were very dissatisfied with this appointment. These direct heirs of the Khanate, having been reinforced by some other Taishas, ​​gathered an army and, having met with the troops of Khan Cheren-Dunduk between Chernoyar and Astrakhan, defeated him utterly, robbed and all his Ulus people, as well as those belonging to his allies, took and divided . Dunduk-Ombo, fearing for his daring act Royal wrath and fair punishment, went to the Kuban, and the owner Dorji-Nazarov, with his son Lubzhei, for Yaik. Prince Boryatinsky was instructed to either reconcile the warring, or punish the daring. Dorji prudently submitted to circumstances, with a power of attorney accepted the proposal, in the name of the Emperor of All Russia, he was offered, and with all the people and property that were with him returned to former place residence. Dunduk-Ombo, more reliable on himself, opposed and lost many of his own and the owners of the Ulus people who were with him, whom Prince Boryatinsky gave to the temporary possession of the Khan Cheren-Dunduk. This Khan, apparently dissatisfied with the reprisal of the Russian Prince, wanted to pay off his enemies himself, attacked Dorji Taishi and took away the cattle and their household belongings from the Kalmyks subject to him. Disagreements flared up again, and some of the owners, not wanting to shed their blood for the benefit of the reckless Khan, again fled with their Uluses to Dunduk-Ombe and other border areas.
Dunduk-Ombo, brave and enterprising, wandering in the Kuban, could become dangerous for Russia both in terms of his qualities and because he wandered in places with poor pastures. But, despite such a need, all the efforts of Prince Boryatinsky, to persuade him to move to the Volga, remained in vain. Proud of the advantages of his mind, he did not want to obey the Khan below him by birth and mind. In order to convince this adamant nomadic knight of the benefits of obedience to the Government, meek and strong, instead of the proud Boyar, the Don Starshina was sent to him in 1754 Danilo Efremov, an insinuating, flattering person, personally acquainted with Taisho and, most importantly, familiar with nomadic deceit and customs. Proud Ombo offered Russia, in return for his humility, the most intricate conditions, but pleased with the pliability of the cunning Efremov, gradually, imperceptibly to himself, he himself yielded to him in everything, saying that he was doing it solely out of friendship for him.

Board of Dunduk-Ombo. 1735.

Returning with all his subjects to the former nomad camp, Dunduk-Ombo, in 1735, granted by the Governor of the Khanate; a Khan Cheren-Dunduk for weak management and the riots he allowed, he was dismissed. Thus, the power of the Khans was limited, arbitrariness was softened, and the transition from wild liberty to perfect subordination took place without upheavals, without bloodshed and without distant reasoning.
While Sergeant Major Efremov was urging Dunduk-Ombo to go to the Volga, his son-in-law, Gunga-Darji, son of the Durbotov owner Cheteri, with 2,000 Kalmyk riders, he crossed the Don, by an accidental attack he seized 76 wagons that roamed near Cherkassk itself, captured 246 Don Cossacks in different villages and, having collected more than 18 thousand different cattle, went beyond the Turkish border without loss and with rich booty. From the fortress of St. Anna and from Cherkassk, 1000 people were sent in pursuit, but they were late in the assembly and could not catch up with the enemies. Although during the reconciliation everything taken was returned, but this raid proves that the Kalmyks almost surpassed our Donets in the art of ruining their neighbors, because, according to the interpretation of all hunters before someone else's, to steal and leave without being caught, is revered above all knowledge, all glory.
In 1736 Dunduk-Ombo with 25,000 Kalmyks and Don Cossacks, together with the dashing marching Ataman Krasnoshchekov and his friend Sergeant Efremov, by the Highest order, went to war in the Kuban and there, against the daring Circassians and our fugitives Nekrasovtsev, distinguished himself by such agility and sharpness that in St. Petersburg all our German teachers could not come to their senses from surprise; and the Court, despite respect for the learned tactics of Field Marshal Munnich, could not fail to notice his sluggishness, could not but give priority to the orders of the half-wild, naturally educated Prince of the Steppes. For this service and an amazing feat in terms of speed, calculation of marches and courage Dunduk-Ombo besides other awards granted by Khan.
In continuation of the above-described disagreements, unrest and internal rebellions that took place between the Kalmyks, their number on the Don continuously multiplied. The Don government, cherishing their arrival, in 1756 issued the Supreme Command that all Kalmyks who entered the Don during the rebellions be left forever with the Don Army.

The reign of Dunduk-Dasha. 1742.

The Kalmyk owners, ruined by these resettlements, could not be satisfied with the order announced by him in 1756; they stubbornly opposed it, and mutual attacks, robberies and robberies continued with bitterness. The upset Taishi did not want to give up their property without a dispute and a fight; The Cossacks considered it their duty to protect those who came to them for a free life and joint service. In order to stop these unrest, disastrous for both sides, the governor of the Khanate Dunduk-Dashe in 1742 he went to St. Petersburg to request that all the Kalmyks who had gone to the Don and Yaik since 1751 be returned to their former places. Satisfaction on this request was granted by the usual judicial procedure, and while the proper certificates were being taken through the local authorities, robberies and raids horrified civilians: the massacre continued, displeasure grew. The process lasted 12 years, during which the Kalmyk Princes, despite the strict prohibition of their Government and the brave resistance of the Don army, managed to return many of their fugitives, some by force, others by affectionate persuasion, to return to their Uluses. Finally, in 1753, at the request of Khan Dunduk-Dashe followed by a decision, which was ordered: “According to the decree of 1756, all those who entered the Don Kalmyks, as being in active military service and sending it along with the Don Cossacks, should be left with the Army. Those who left the Don for the Kalmyk Uluses should be returned to the Don; if the Kalmyk Taishi do not voluntarily give up these departed or brought together, and subsequently there are such Kalmyks in their Uluses who migrated to the Don before 1756, then the Don army will be allowed to commit barantu, that is, to take by force as many Kalmyks as fled from the Cossacks to the owners. Those who came to the Don after 1736, the Cossacks must return to their owners without concealment. And in order to completely stop the escapes for the future, the Kalmyks, traveling from the uluses to the Don, receive passports for signing the Khan or his governor; and those who live on the Don and wish to go to the Khan Uluses on their business, take passports for the signing of the Army Ataman. If even for this one of the Kalmyks appears without such passports on the Don or in the Uluses of the Khans, they, after taking away the horses and all the property that will be with them, send for the guard to their former places.
In pursuance of this decree, in 1754, sent to the attorney Dunduk-Dasha from Khan, 366 wagons were handed over to Torgouts and Derbets, in which 1515 souls were considered male and female. By this decisive measure, the crossings of the Kalmyks were completely stopped, the cases of the fleeing Kalmyks ended, and in military affairs only those are mentioned who, at the request of the Army Atamans, supreme government were Ranked with the Army, but there were very few of those re-settled on the Don.
In 1758, after the conquest of the Zhungar Elyutov by the Chinese and the final destruction of the union Oirats, Sheryn Taiji with 10,000 wagons, leaving his fatherland, arrived on the banks of the Volga, where he settled among his relatives.

Relocation to China and the Don.

Among the most famous incidents of the Kalmyk people is their departure with Khan Ubashey in 1771, among 70,000 wagons, to the borders of the Chinese Empire to their former place of residence in the Ilis District; then the migration of the large Derbetov Ulus from the steppes of the Astrakhan province to the lands of the Don army, which happened in 1788. The lack of grazing areas, frequent disputes and fights, and perhaps deliberate insults and harassment suffered by them from the Don Cossacks, forced them in 1794 to retreat again beyond the Volga, where, by the Highest command, the land was assigned to them for nomadic lands. And here, dissatisfied with the pretentious orders of the local authorities, they again came to the land of the Don army and, according to their desire, according to the Nominal order, which took place on August 30, 1798, were numbered with their owner, Ekrem-Khonchukov, to the Don army to serve on a par with the Cossacks.
In 1799, according to the Highest order given in the name of the Army Ataman, General of the Orlov 1st Cavalry, a board was established in the Derbet Horde, consisting of one Major General, one Headquarters Officer and the owner of the Derbet Horde himself. This Board is instructed to: 1) Make a general census of all Kalmyks with the appointment of each year. 2) Divide into parts and assign to them chiefs from the Kalmyks. 3) Observe order and improvement between them, resolve their quarrels, and so on. 4) This Board should be under the order of the Military Chancellery. 5) Two specific officials should have supervision over the behavior of the owner and the Kalmyks.

The transition of the great Derbet Horde from the Don to the Volga. 1800 year.

At the first attempt to fulfill this Highest will, strange, unexpected obstacles were encountered. With all good will, the execution of the first article tired both the officials and the Kalmyks, for most of the latter did not know how old anyone was; The Cossacks, not knowing Mongolian, changed the Kalmyk names and nicknames in their own way, so that the census had to be thrown into the fire. According to the Kalmyk concept, it is better to rob and kill than to force a person to stand on eternal guard in order to maintain good order and order, which the shepherds hardly need. To a careless and lazy people, preferring idleness and wandering to any other earthly good, the introduced order was extremely disliked. This news seemed to the Kalmyks not only an insult, but even a severe oppression. And as for that, the Don officials, instead of possible indulgence out of zeal for the service, wanted to fulfill the instructions given to them exactly, then for these reasons the chief of the clergy, Saban Baksha, left with his khurulom and with everyone Shabiners(subject to the Kalmyks monastery) to the Astrakhan steppe. This example was followed by some rulers, who were more tired of the introduced order than others. The escapes continued uninterruptedly, so that the Kalmyk Government, established from the Don Army, could not stop them and finally saw that soon there would be no one to bother about order. These circumstances were brought to the attention of the Sovereign Emperor, from whom, in June 1800, on the 13th day, the Astrakhan Governor, Lieutenant-General Knoring 2nd was entrusted with the following: “If the Kalmyks do not agree to return to their former nomad camp, then leave them in a small Derbet, because it makes no difference to the State whether they roam on the small or on the big Derbet, as long as they do not go beyond Our borders.
Upon the promulgation of this Supreme will, the entire large Derbetovy ulus migrated to the Astrakhan steppe. Thus, the Don army lost 9,457 good horsemen, excellent in courage, always ready and zealous for service, and very useful as shepherds and horsemen necessary for the owners of the army.
About them, the famous Ataman Frol Minyaev said in a reply to the Tsar: Where are we with them?(Kalmyks) let's go, they will be our wings and courage, and fear and annoyance will be the enemy».

About the Kalmyks in general.

Political formation of the State of four Mongolian generations, united by an alliance, called four Oirats known, it was not very strong. Although the supreme power in appearance was concentrated in one person Chorossky Khan, but this ruler in matters relating to the whole people, united by the union, could not do anything important without the consent of the other three Khans and the higher clergy. All four Khans ruled their separate generation independently, and each specific Prince ruled his area also independently. This feudal government, which did not tolerate autocracy, by division weakened the forces of the state body so that at the slightest quarrel, an unsuccessful war, the most powerful peoples disappeared one after another; only their glorious name is preserved by History. So the Scythians, Huns, Avars perished, and for the same reason the strong Oirats disappeared from the face of the earth and are already forgotten, because they did little harm to people.
Our Volga Kalmyks, like all nomadic peoples who knew neither agriculture nor crafts and lived only by cattle breeding, did not have any legal administration, legal proceedings were carried out with them verbally. The accepted customs served as law in the decision of cases, and these customs are finally set forth in Steppe Code published in 1640. In this Code, as in a mirror, nomadic morality is reflected, it clearly depicts the customs, way of thinking, ways of life and the degree of enlightenment of the Mongolian people.
The death penalty is defined in only two cases: 1) Whoever leaves his owner during the battle, that kill and rob. 2) Whoever sees the approach of a strong enemy and does not notify others about it, he and his whole family will also be ruined and killed.
Corporal punishment, deprivation of honor, slavery and exile are completely excluded; instead, a penalty in cattle was introduced in favor of the offended party. The punishment for the military unit and for theft is harder than others.
Parricide is punishable by deprivation of wife, children and all property. And if the father kills his son, then he loses only his entire estate.
About religion, schools and awards for virtues, not a word is said; and for insults inflicted on clergy, a double punishment is prescribed, against others. The most wonderful of all laws Steppe Code, there is a decree that every year forty yurts make two armor for themselves, so that after 20 years each yurta has full armor. However, despite the simplicity of the steppe laws, the measure of crimes in them is determined by circumstances, intentionality and unintentionality.
Despite the fact that the Mongols have had their own writing for about eight centuries and their clergy have been engaged in Astronomy, Medicine and Painting, however, in a very imperfect way, the whole people still have no idea at all about the sciences, arts and crafts. Their great legislator Bator-Hon-Taiji, creator Steppe Code, had such a small education that all his great deeds were limited to building for himself a small fortress and in small experiments in agriculture. his son, Galdan Boshoktu, formed in Khlassa, although he had higher considerations, but, not finding the opportunity to turn his subjects into an agricultural people, he conquered eastern Turkestan only in order to get bread and fabrics from there - two items for which his people were dependent on China. This Sovereign introduced his own copper coin into use.
The Kalmyk Khans led the same shepherd life and lived in the same wagon as the poorest of their subjects, they ate from the same wooden troughs; and glorious them Bator-Hon-Taiji, in 1655, during relations with the Siberian Governors, he asked to give him, as things extremely expensive and marvelous, a shell impenetrable by bullets, rifles, ten pigs, two turkeys and ten bed dogs. This ignorance, this simplicity, carelessness and idleness made the Oirats, as well as our Volga Kalmyks, before their complete allegiance to China and Russia, prone to predatory, begging; greedy, frivolous, crafty, treacherous.
The Volga Kalmyks were divided for internal control into aimags, aimaki on Zaisang; Shabiners Kalmyks subject to the monastery were called. According to their condition, they were divided into military and spiritual. The first of them were divided into nobles and tax-payers, who paid a small quitrent to their owners. Khan was content with the income from his inheritance; The state did not have a public treasury, and therefore all Mongolian generations did not have a single public institution.

About the Kalmyks assigned to the Don army.

The Kalmyks, assigned to the Don Army, roam in the places determined by them along the rivers Salu, Kubersa, Gasitsnam, Manych to the mouth of the big Yegorlyk, along Kagalnik, Elbuza and the river Ey. Don Kalmyks are divided into Uluses, Uluses on hundreds, Hundreds per Hutuns. There are three uluses: Upper, Average and Lower; Upper Ulus consists of four hundred, Average of two, and the lower one from four hundred. In addition to these, there are also special three Hundreds called: Upper Taranikova, Nizhnyaya Taranikova and Belyaeva. Each hundred is assigned from 10 to 15 Khutunov, and each Hutong counts from 10 to 25 wagon or families.
Uluses hold only one ancient name: there is no power in them that would control the Hundreds belonging to him. On the contrary, each Hundred is separately controlled by its own centurion, elected by common consent of all Kalmyks, to that Hundred assigned to help him is given Pentecost, just like the Centurion, elected. The centurion observes the queue when the Kalmyks are sent to the service, stops the disputes and fights that occur between them. For the analysis of serious cases in each hundred, they elect from among themselves Judges honest behavior, who decide cases by verbal court, guided by old customs and the Code of the Steppes.
All hundreds are under the main control of an official appointed by the Army Ataman, who is called Bailiff over the Kalmyks.
Kalmyks follow Buddhist confession, they Dalai Lama the same as the Catholic Pope. Don Kalmyks have their own lamu, their other priests are called: Bakshi, Gilyun and Gitsuli. The Kalmyk clergy know their literacy and, by skill or hearsay, are willingly engaged in the treatment of the sick, of whom, however, a very small number falls into their hands. It has constant relations with Tibet and receives from the city of Lassa Sacred books, rosaries, medicines, notes, carved idols and utensils for its Khurulov, so called felt tents, in which they send their worship. The ugly idols and deafening church music of the Kalmyks are terrible for sight and hearing. Their musical instruments consist of drums, or better, baskets, of something similar to timpani, cymbals, bells; the trumpets or horns are so huge that several people carry them on their shoulders when playing. One must have Kalmyk taste and Kalmyk ears to withstand such a harmonica.
Mobile houses of the Kalmyks, called wagons, with a slight improvement, they can be more convenient than any camp tent. Their arrangement consists of thin wooden lattices and poles covered with felt and furnished chakans or mats made of reeds and grass. The outer view of the wagon is a low cylinder, topped with a cone. The wagon has only one door for entry and for light; and at the top of the cone there is a hole for the exit of smoke. Their arrangement is so simple that Kalmyk can rent his house in less than half an hour, put it on his two-wheeled arba (cart) or on a pack and put it up again.
The Kalmyks, assigned to the Don army, eating only meat and milk, always being in the open air and spending time in almost complete idleness, enjoy enviable health. Behind all this, although among them there are wonderful heroes in strength, but not many of them reach deep old age, because, like the Huns, they eat all carrion, drink a lot of koumiss and weaned Russian sivushka, and in works that strengthen the strength of a healthy person, completely are not exercising. Except for felts and the rudest product, necessary for nomadic life, they do not know any needlework. Their industry is limited to the exchange of livestock, the sale of horses, which is too much to support their families, even with some luxury for their life. According to the description, the Kalmyks are very similar to the Huns and partly to the Chinese: they have small eyes, jet black hair, a large mouth, a small, flattened nose, prominent cheekbones, a yellow-olive complexion; growth small, broad-shouldered, clumsy. In appearance they are pensive, and when they are in a calm mood, they seem clumsy; but by nature they are not offended by the mind, they are quick-witted in deeds, brave and enterprising in battles, and so skillful in looking after cattle that all Don breeders cannot do without Kalmyk herdsmen and shepherds; and, despite the fact that 140 rubles annually are paid into the military treasury for these shepherds, in addition to a special, conditional payment, they are preferred by all others. According to the way of life - marching, wandering - in which the first beginnings of civic education are not noticeable, this semi-savage people has its own virtues. Honesty and righteousness are the essence of those respectable qualities for which the Cossacks respect them and highly value their partnership. The mores of the Kalmyks have now completely changed. According to the nomadic mentality, they can now be called the laziest, happiest people in the world. the globe and, moreover, the most peaceful, obedient and most useful of all foreign (except for the Kazan Tatars) subjects of the Russian Empire. Kalmyk women, in contrast to men, are very industrious, but, with a disgusting disgrace, are terribly untidy. They serve their husbands like slaves, to which the female sex is doomed among all unenlightened peoples. Their children up to 14 years of age, like the Gypsies, but only in summer, run around the steppe and around their wagons naked.

Notes

Chzhungaria from the Mongolian word Zhongn Gar by the pronunciation of the southern and Zong-gar according to the pronunciation of the northern Mughals, in translation it means: east side.
. Thule, in translation means: high [...]. Cart? - Ed.
. Oirat means neighbor, ally.
. Taizchi, translated in Russian into Taishi, means Prince and Supreme Vizier.
. The ancestor of the Torgotsky generation was Uzukhan from whom was born in the sixth generation Mahatzi Munk[e]. After this, they followed the throne: Baigo Urluk, Baygoev's son would Choligan Urluk; Choliganov's son Ho Urluk, a contemporary of the chief Oirot Khan Bator Hong-Taiji, great-grandfather known to us Ayuki Hana.
. So called after the famous Tai Chi Elutei, former later Khan of Zhungar.
. The spelling of the quotation has been preserved. - Ed.
. See Paul. Inc. Ros. laws vol. II. No. 1245.
. See collection. Ross. laws. T. IV. No. 2291.
. Don Ataman Frolov defeated the Sultan and took all his booty from him. See East. D. V. part I, p. 378.
. From now on, in the absence of more reliable information, we borrow from an article about the Kalmyks, delivered by the Officer of the Don Army A. K. Ku-m and printed in the Northern Archive of 1824 in March.
. Probably, just like Peter Taishin, baptized.
. See East. Don. Troops, part II, p. 12.