History Yekaterinburg Omsk Novosibirsk Krasnoyarsk Irkutsk Ulan-Ude Khabarovsk Vladivostok Tours
Like most Siberian cities, Ulan Ude was founded in the 17th century. Today Ulan-Ude is the capital of the Buryat Republic of the Russian Federation with a population of 353.000. It is a multinational historical and cultural center where Russians, Mongolians, Chinese, and Cossacks live in harmony and peace. However, as the center of the Buddhist Buryat culture, it is unlike any of the other stops along the Trans-Siberian railway. Although the city's Buddhist tradition, like all other religions, suffered a sharp decline under Stalin, there has been a noticeable revival in recent years.
- 5609 km from Moscow
- Was founded in 1689, incorporated from 1775
- Time zone: Moscow +5 hours
- Population: 353.000
- Average temperatures: January -27, April +1, July +19, October -1
Things to see and do
Visitors to Ulan Ude today should not miss the opportunity to visit nearby Ivolginske Datsan, a restored Tibetan Buddhist monastery which now serves as the center of Buddhism in Russia. Located 35 kilometers from the city, the Ivolginsky Datsan was the only Buddhist temple re-opened in 1945 on the territory of the former USSR. One of the monastery's treasures is a rare collection of old Buddhist manuscripts written in Tibet language on natural silk and a greenhouse with a holly Bodskhva tree. Everyone is welcome here to consult Emchi-Lama or local astrologists. Try traditional Buryat meal called "manty" at one of the many cafes around the Temple. See the largest Buddha in Russia. The statue was created in China in 2003 and erected on the top of the hill near Ulan-Ude.
The Ethnographic Museum of Transbaikalian (Lake Baikal area)People..established in July 6, 1973 within 15 kilometers from the city, the museum today is one of the largest open air exhibitions in Russia made of individual sections representing the Evenks, Western Buryats, Eastern Buryats, Cossacks, Old Believers life styles.
Historic Museum. You can view the collected remains of pre-revolutionary Buddhism in Ruusia, salvaged from Buryatia’s monasteries and temples on the eve of their destruction.
Dasha-Dorzho Imtegelov was elected in the midst of 18th century by Lama’s society of Eastern Siberia to be the 12th Pandito Xambo Lama. It was not the title that made his name famous. His giving spirit and inspirational force he generously offered carries the story throughout years. After his death in 1917, he asked to burry him in the cubical coffin made of cedar and leave him in the meditation pose. There was nothing special done to the coffin except that it was filled with salt.
The Lama also asked to open the coffin in 75 years. After long debates and hesitation among the Buddhist community, the coffin eventually was opened revealing the body of Dasha-Dorzho sitting in the same meditation pose. What shocked most people is the body. It is preserved so well, that nobody still can believe how that can be possible. Scientist are working on this phenomena, but no answers or suggestions yet…We can not promise that you will see the mummy, but you will have a chance to ask local monks what they think about it.
