| Summary: | Introduction. The article examines historical sources dealing with Lama Zodbo-Arakba Samtanov, the Head Lama of Buddhists of the Kalmyk steppe in 1873–1886, in terms of interaction between the Russian state administration and Kalmyk Buddhists. Data and methods. The research is based on historical-descriptive and comparative methods of historical analysis. Its focus is on the archive documents, including the memorandum of 21 January 1880 directed by the Head Lama of Kalmyk Buddhists Zodbo-Arakba Samtanov to the Minister of State Property A. A. Liven and the 1886 article ”Smert´poslednego lamy” (Death of the Last Lama) in the local newspaper Astrakhanskii spravochnyi listok. Results. This paper has examined the historical sources pertaining to Lama Samtanov’s biography. Of particular interest for the research was the evidence of his participation in the interdepartment discussions on a number of urgent issues of the second half of the nineteenth century, such as the staff of Kalmyk Buddhist monasteries being reduced and the traditional Buddhist education of Kalmyks being restricted. Also, the article focuses on the description of the ritual of Lama’s cremation that took place on 14 December 1886. Conclusions. The second half of the nineteenth century saw a more active interaction between the Buddhists of the Kalmyk steppe and Russian state ministeries and departments dealing with Kalmyk affairs. The Kalmyk senior lamas participated in a dialogue with Russian officials in an effort to defend their system of Buddhist monasteries and the traditional rules and customs of the local Buddhists. Lama Samtanov’s memorandum is a vivid example of interaction between Kalmyk Buddhists and the administration of the Russian Empire. The article ”Death of the Last Lama” in Astrakhanskii spravochnyi listok that describes the ritual of Lama’s cremation is not only a valuable source but also the evidence that shows some of the local journalists’ positive attitudes towards the Buddhist monasteries’ role in the life of Kalmyks in the late nineteenth century.
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