Introduction. The article examines the early history of Drepung Monastery, which since its foundation in 1416 has become one of the most important Buddhist educational centers in Tibet. The importance of Drepung for the Tibetan Geluk school and in general for the religious, cultural and political life of Tibet and the Mongolian-speaking peoples is enormous. However, its true scale is still not fully appreciated. Especially important is the information from the original Tibetan sources related to the name of Tsong-kha-pa (1357–1419) and his relationship with his direct disciples, such as ‘Jamyang Choje (1379–1449), the founder of Drepung Monastery.  The purpose of the research is to study the main aspects of the history of Drepung Monastery, a brief biography of the founder, and some items of the monastery's material and spiritual culture. Materials and methods. The work is based on the study of “The History of the Foundation of the Four Monasteries [Sera, Ganden, Drepung and Tashilhunpo] and the Two Tantric Datsans of Gyuto and Gyume” (Grwa sa chen po bzhi dang rgyud pa stod smad kyi dkar chag pad dkar 'phreng ba), compiled in 1744 by Purchok I Ngawang Jampa (Phur lcog ngag dbang byams pa, 1682–1762). Results. The presented materials allow us to trace the main stages of the life of Jamchen Choje, the prosperity and decline of Drepung in Tibet. It is noted that the recreated “Indian” Drepung almost completely preserved all the basic elements of religious activity, the administrative and disciplinary structure of the monastery as well as the regional kantsen communities that existed in Tibet before 1959.

Introduction. The article is devoted to the little-studied topic of the history of Soviet-Mongolian planning coordination on the example of coordination of the plans of the MPR and the USSR for the five years of 1971–1975. The purpose of the article is an objective study of this process, which is expressed in identifying its course and mechanisms of commission, as well as determining its role in economic cooperation between countries. Materials and methods. The research was based on archival materials of the USSR State Planning Committee, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Secretariat of the Council of Mutual Economic Assistance. Results. The coordination of the plans of the MPR and the USSR for the five-year period 1971–1975 was a multi-stage process. First, during negotiations and two consultations of the authorities of the countries, five-year plans for the development of the national economy of the countries were agreed upon, and then during the five-year plan, annual plans were coordinated. Conclusions. The content of the coordination of the five-year plans consisted, on one hand, in an exchange of views on the draft “Main directions for the development of the national economy of the MPR”, and, on the other, in discussing some procedural issues. In turn, all the main decisions on economic cooperation between the countries in 1971–1975 were taken at the level of party and government delegations, which determines the purely technical role of planned coordination in the system of relations between Mongolia and the Soviet Union during the period under review.

Introduction. The relevance of the study is determined by the increasing role of North-East Asia as one of the world and political centers, as well as the growth of various challenges and threats in the region, affecting safe and stable development of the world community as a whole. The study of the problem of regional security in Northeast Asia and the participation of Mongolia in its ensuring is important for the formation of theoretical and practical conclusions and assessments regarding its international status. Since the 1980s Mongolia has been consistently pursuing the policy of creating a mechanism for dialogue in Northeastern Asia. The result of these efforts was the Ulaanbaatar Northeast Asia Security Dialogue initiative. Mongolia's active foreign policy and the will to fully participate in regional cooperation in Northeastern Asia and in as many international and multilateral organizations as possible is one of the hallmarks of the phenomenon of modern Mongolia. The purpose of the study is to review the “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue on Security in Northeast Asia” and analyze its role in creating conditions for the interaction of all stakeholders in the interests of maintaining peace in Northeastern Asia. Results. This study presents a brief history of the formation and development of the Ulaanbaatar Dialogue, identifies advantages over similar discussion platforms in the region, and shows the importance of this event in increasing the international status of Mongolia. It is concluded that in the nearest future Mongolia may become an analogue of Asian Switzerland, the main platform for negotiations between countries in Northeast Asia due to the fact that Ulaanbaatar pursues an open, multifaceted foreign policy, and the adherence of this country to the “third neighbor” doctrine makes Mongolia a neutral state that does not participate in military-political blocks.

Introduction. The article examines the features of the formation and evolution of the Oirat light cavalry armed with spears of the Late Middle Ages and early Modern times. The purpose of the study is to identify the role of spear fighting in the military practice of the Dzungars and Kalmyks of the XVII – early XIX centuries on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of written, pictorial and material sources. Results. It has been established that in the Central Asian region for centuries shock spears and pikes remained mainly the weapons of armored cavalry, while light nomads without armor used them only sporadically. During the military transformations carried out by the Oirat and Mongol military leaders of the second half of the XVI–XVII centuries, mounted archers were equipped with shock spears and pikes, which led to the emergence of a new type of cavalry composed of lightly armed spearmen capable of conducting both remote and close combat. During the military campaigns of the Oirats, which covered most of steppe Eurasia, the idea of mass light cavalry with spears was adopted by many peoples of the Great Steppe, including Russian Cossacks and Turks of Eastern Europe (Nogais, Crimean and Polish-Lithuanian Tatars). In turn, the battle on the spears of the Polish-Lithuanian Tatars (Lipkov) formed the basis of the military practice of the Polish lancers, which became a model of such cavalry for the countries of Central and Western Europe of the XVIII – early XIX centuries. Based on the analysis of Mongolian, Oirat, Ottoman, European and Qing written sources, the original name of the Oirat long–barrel weapon of the XVII–XVIII centuries was revealed, which sounded like “jida” (“dzida”). The design features of the Oirat spears were established, the spear fighting technique and tactics of mounted Kalmyk and Dzungarian warriors armed with spears were reconstructed. Conclusions. The collected materials indicate that spears and pikes were the main type of melee weapons of the Oirat warriors of the XVII – early XIX centuries. Spear fighting was one of the key elements of the military art of the Dzungars and Kalmyks of this period. The Oirats had a significant impact on the development of the practice of equestrian spear fighting among the peoples of Eurasia of the XVII–XVIII centuries.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is still an opinion, at least among the masses, that in pre-revolutionary times literacy was poorly developed among the Kalmyks. It was believed that representatives of the clergy and noble classes ― Noyons and Zaisangs — were literate. The clergy accounted for the largest percentage of literates, which was due to their type of activity. Nevertheless, there was an opinion that even among them the bulk was mired in drunkenness and deception of the ignorant masses of the people. The purpose of the proposed work is, as far as possible, to answer some of the above questions, although the study and coverage of the content of the problem as a whole is not a matter of one article. Materials and methods. To solve these problems, archival material, which is being introduced into scientific circulation for the first time, is mainly involved. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to approach the resolution of certain emerging problems, abandoning the recent habit of approaching the analysis of a diverse historical panorama with a single pre-regulating theoretical attitude. Descriptive, historical-comparative, historical-genetic and analytical methods were used in the study. Results. In Kalmyk society, representatives of the Noyono-Zaisang environment were primarily literate. The Noyons were almost all literate, including their wives. The Zaisangs had a fairly high literacy rate; there were also women among the literate, but their number was small. There are no specific data on commoners, but it can be assumed that the number of literate among them was small. In the XVIII century. literacy education in general in the Kalmyk Khanate went in two directions. Russian Russian was taught to the representatives of the Kalmyks, and the Russians — Kalmyk. This training was initiated by the Russian government (translators, interpreters, etc. were needed) and spontaneously, in the process of everyday communication between representatives of neighboring peoples.

Introduction. In 1929–1934, in the Kalmyk Autonomous Region, as part of the policy of dispossession in the country, measures were taken to liquidate farms and relocate to new places the most financially well-off part of the rural population of the Kalmyk Autonomous Region. Mass population movements have had a noticeable impact on the social, demographic and ethnic structure of the autonomous region. This aspect of the collectivization policy initiated by the leadership of the USSR in relation to Kalmykia has not been studied specifically. The purpose of the study is to highlight the migration policy of the state during the period of mass dispossession in the Kalmyk Autonomous Region in 1929–1934. The source database includes materials from the funds of state and party authorities of the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia. Results. The article examines the external and internal migrations in the region caused by the policy of dispossession. The resettlement of Kulaks was planned, the conditions of transportation of kulak families, as well as their adaptation to new places, were difficult. The main contingent of dispossessed and exiled, due to the peculiarities of the economic development of the region, were not farmers, but cattle breeders and fishermen. The state did not use their professional skills, employing the repressed in an industrial sphere unfamiliar to them. For the sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped Kalmykia, the dispossession and expulsion of the most enterprising and economic part of the peasantry had negative consequences. It should also be noted that Kalmykia is located in natural conditions that are generally unfavorable for human habitation. The evicted people were old-timers who were adapted to living in difficult local natural conditions, adapted to traditional economic activities. At the same time, the Kalmyk Autonomous Region was the host country. There were many remote and sparsely populated places on its territory, so it attracted runaway kulaks. In its settlements and just in the steppe, they hoped to wait out the persecution and return to their homeland or gain a foothold in a new place of residence. The actions of the authorities to evict the Kulaks increased the migration of the population in the Kalmyk Autonomous Region. On the one hand, it led to a forced mass outflow of the population, on the other to the illegal resettlement of a significant number of people who fled from the dispossession of people. 

Introduction. The article is devoted to the servicemen of the Red Army ― residents of the Kalmyk ASSR, buried at the Mamaev Kurgan ― a key point of the defense of Stalingrad during the Great Patriotic War, as well as to the historical and statistical study of their collective portrait. Materials and methods. When writing the article a complex of various general scientific and special methods was used, including historical-genetic, historical-comparative, historical-typological, historical-systemic, as well as statistical method. The materials for the work were the logs of combat operations of units in the defense of Stalingrad, reports on irrecoverable losses of personnel, materials of the Books of Memory of the Volgograd region and the Republic of Kalmykia, lists of the dead, inscribed on the mosaic banners in the Hall of Military Glory on the Mamaev Kurgan, lists of burials on the Mamaev Kurgan. Results. In the course of the research on the basis of various sources the database of the Red Army servicemen - residents of Kalmyk ASSR, buried on the Mamaev Kurgan was compiled. Following this, their collective portrait was analyzed by such categories as place and time of birth, place of conscription, time and place of death. Conclusions. The analysis shows that natives of Kalmykia actively participated in the defense of Stalingrad. At the same time, the majority of the deceased belonged to young people born in 1924 and younger. It is obvious that most of the studied personalities were mobilized in 1942 and, even without completing their training, were thrown to the defense of Stalingrad. At the same time, most of the losses occurred in September-October 1942 – the period of the most intense battles for Stalingrad. At the same time, the analysis of information about other defenders of Stalingrad, not included in the list of those buried at Mamaev Kurgan, allows us to assert that they were also buried at this memorial, but without specifying their names.

Introduction. The article is devoted to the history of the Kalmyks who were in exile (1943–1957) on the territory of the Aral region in Kazakhstan. The purpose of the study is to highlight individual materials from documents about Kalmyk special settlers and to introduce into scientific circulation the information about oral stories of deported Kalmyks who were exiled to the Aral region of Kyzylordinskaya oblast of the Kazakh SSR. Results. The deportation of a part of the Kalmyk people to the Aral region of Kyzylordinskaya oblast of the Kazakh SSR was initially not planned. However, the decision to evict the Kalmyks to this region was made immediately after the adoption of the documents on the deportation of the Kalmyk people, and on January 2, 1944, the district committee of the CPSU (b) and the district council were already considering the resettlement of Kalmyks sent to the Aral region. The destination of the SK-406 train was the Aral Sea railway station. The deportation of part of the Kalmyks, residents of the sea-side Lagan ulus, to the Aral region was due to the aim of the authorities to use the deportees in the fishing industry, which suffered significant damage during the period of hostilities in the European part of the territory of the USSR and thus which faced huge tasks to ensure the front and rear. The deported to the Aral region Kalmyks experienced the same restrictions in rights and deprivation as those Kalmyks who found themselves in the regions of Siberia. At the same time, the relatively compact settlement of the large group and the milder climate, compared to the Siberian one, were favorable factors. The Kalmyks left a mark in the memory of the local population of the Aral region of Kazakhstan. The chief doctors of the hospitals E. N. Lidzhiev, previously the People's Commissar of Health of the Kalmyk ASSR, and V. B. Mukharaev, who also became famous for his participation in the film “Daughter of the Steppes” (1954), gained special fame among the population here. The respect for Kalmyks is also manifested in the memory of famous figures who showed themselves after returning to their homeland, but who spent their youth in the Aral region: the memory of them is alive among the Kazakh population.

Introduction. Carrying out irrigation works in the arid climate of the Kalmyk ASSR was of great importance. A special place in the complex of technical measures to improve the efficiency of the use of water and land resources was occupied by the construction of irrigation systems in the Sarpinsk lowland of the Kalmyk ASSR. An important factor that influenced the acceleration of the pace of construction of this facility was the announcement of the construction of the second stage of irrigation systems in the Sarpinsk lowland by the All-Union Komsomol Shock Construction Site. Subsequently, the irrigated facilities built provided an opportunity for the development of a new industry in the republic ⸺ rice growing. The purpose of this article is to study the history of the participation of Komsomol members and youth in the All-Union shock construction on the example of the construction of the Sarpa irrigation system and the contribution of youth to the socio-economic development of the republic. The research was conducted on archival and published materials of the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmykia. The analysis of archival materials was carried out on the principles of science, objectivity and historicism, which made it possible to explore the studied problem in its development and relationship with the prevailing concrete historical circumstances, as well as based on facts and taking into account both negative and positive phenomena. Results. The features of the construction of the Sarpa irrigation system are considered. It is shown that builders and meliorators prematurely commissioned the construction and water management facilities of the Sarpa irrigation system. The patronage of the Komsomol over the All-Union Komsomol shock construction site of the Sarpa Irrigation System had a positive impact on the organization of labor, accelerating the commissioning of construction facilities, increasing labor productivity and solving cultural and everyday issues.

Introduction. The article discusses the history of the creation and organization of the activities of the Council of Kalmyk Administration, which carried out the administrative management of the Kalmyk steppe of the Astrakhan province in the period from 1836 to 1848. The Kalmyk Administration Council was guided in its work by the “Regulations on the Administration of the Kalmyk People” dated November 24, 1834, which regulated the structure of the governing body and the procedure for organizing work with documents. Studying the composition and content of documents created during the activities of the Council and stored in the archival fund I-3 “Council of the Astrakhan Kalmyk Administration” of the National Archive of the Republic of Kalmyk will allow for analysis and determination of the directions of its activities. The purpose of the article is to study the archival documents of the I-3 Foundation “Council of Kalmyk Administration” and to identify their source potential for studying the organization of activities of the body for governing the Kalmyk people, especially in the management of office work and document flow in pre-revolutionary Kalmykia. The purpose of the article is to study the archival documents of the I-3 Foundation “Council of Kalmyk Administration” and to identify their source potential for studying the organization of activities of the body for governing the Kalmyk people, especially in the management of office work and document flow in pre-revolutionary Kalmykia. Results. The documents created during the activities of the Kalmyk Administration Council are unique written sources for the study of the life of the Kalmyk people in pre-revolutionary Russia. In addition, these studies will allow us to study the procedure for organizing work with documents in Kalmykia and identify their compliance with all-Russian regulatory requirements in the field of office work and document management.

Introduction. The article is devoted to the study of the consumption of traditional food products by tourists of the Baikal region. The study of the food traditions of different countries and regions of the world is an actual scientific topic. The field of gastronomic tourism has been actively developing in the recent years. The Baikal region is a unique region of Russia. The development of tourism in this region is possible through gastronomic tourism. It is known that traditional dishes play an important role in increasing the popularity of tourist destinations. In this regard, the purpose of this work is to study the consumer preferences for traditional food products (on the example of tourists from the Baikal region). Methods of research. For assessment of the satisfaction and consumer preferences of tourists in the Baikal region in relation to traditional food products, a questionnaire was developed (in Russian and English languages). During the study, 43 respondents were interviewed ― tourists of the Baikal region, permanently residing in other regions of Russia or foreign countries. Statistical processing of the results was carried out using standard methods of mathematical statistics. Results and its discussion. It has been found that buuzy, shulen, traditional green tea (nogoon sai), buchler are the most popular foods for the tourists of the Baikal region. The majority of respondents are satisfied with the quality of these products. At the same time, the study has shown that there is a list of traditional food products that the respondents haven’t tried during their stay in the Baikal region. For example, products from Baikal omul and products from wild-growing plants were tried only 79 % and 86 % of respondents respectively. Despite of this fact, the most of the surveyed tourists would like to purchase a fermented product from the Baikal omul. The most important consumer indicators of the quality of fermented Baikal omul are pleasant taste, reasonable price, pronounced aroma and health benefits. Conclusions. The majority of the respondents were satisfied with the quality of traditional food products of the Baikal region. Products from Baikal omul and fermented omul, in particular, were tasted only by a small percentage of respondents. It can be related to the fact that the commercial fishery was prohibited when the survey was conducted. Successful development of the Baikal fermented omul brand requires marketing support.

Introduction. The article is devoted to the establishment of differential semantic features of the Buryat term ed baraa, presented in the monuments of Old Mongolian writing of the 18th–19th centuries, reflecting the usual legal practice of the Buryats in relation to the totality of things owned by a person. The relevance of the study is due to the interest in the specifics of understanding property relations and the formation of property terms in the Buryat language of that time. Materials and methods. The research material was written sources from the collection “Customary Law of the Khorin Buryats. Monuments of Old Mongolian Writing”, which presents the legislative acts of the Khorin Buryats. The introduction briefly describes the extent to which the problem has been studied and defines the research methodology. Results. Analysis of the texts in which the term under study functions allowed the authors to establish that ed baraa is an invariant term for movable property. Ed baraa serves to designate the totality of household material objects and things in the possession of a person, excluding livestock, in addition, it participates in the implementation of the property rights of the owner in relation to material goods belonging to him. Based on the internal form of the word, ed baraa is a paired word, formed by adding two independent words with a coordinating connection, and having an abstract meaning. The abstractness and collective meaning of the term becomes possible as a result of summing up the meaning of the words and its components, where ed delegates the sign of a relatively large property quantity and represents a characteristic of the components in abstraction from specific signs. Baraa, as a nominee of the nuclear component, carries the attribute ‘small property, household items, belongings’. The internal form of the word contains a key feature of the plurality of goods, which is considered as property. This term implies the semantics that this property can be the subject of purchase and sale; there is an indication of the acquisition of property, since it was a product of labor produced for sale, in order to exchange for other products of labor or money.

Introduction. The article presents a comparative analysis of the figurative vocabulary of the Yakut and Buryat languages on the basis of epic texts. The figurative vocabulary in both languages is specific part of its lexicon which have a common roots. The purpose of the study is to identify the features of the use of lexical parallels of the Yakut and Buryat figurative vocabulary in the texts of the Buryat uliger and Yakut olonkho. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing interest in linguistic folklore in the study of language based on the material of epic texts in order to identify the specifics of the language of the epic as a whole. For research a lexical and semantic analysis and comparative historical method were used. Materials. The texts of the Buryat uliger “Alamzhi Bergen” by E. Shalbykov and the Yakut olonkho “Kyys Debiliye” by N. P. Burnashev, “Mighty Er Sogotokh” by V. O. Karataev, “Khaan Dzhargystai” by unknown olonkhosut from Verkhoyansk were used as material for the study. The three olonkho texts are represented by three main regional epic traditions, which makes it possible to take into account almost all the local features of the olonkho text. Results. The study revealed 12 lexical parallels in the figurative vocabulary presented in the Yakut and Buryat epic texts. These lexical parallels were divided into three thematic groups by the way of description. Thus, first group is figurative words describing the figure, second is the group of words describing facial expressions and face, and the last one is the words describing the shape of objects. A comparative analysis of the revealed lexical parallels showed that they have a emotionally expressive character that allows expressing the narrator’s attitude to the described object, have the same semantic meaning, the same ways of word formation and the general principle of word formation.

Introduction. The article is devoted to Buddhist terms, which represent a significant layer in the lexical system of the Buryat language. The borrowed Buddhist vocabulary of the Buryat language is the result of the enteringprocessof Buddhist terms into the Buryat language taken place over centuries. It was not stable, it, like any process, had periods of decline and activity.  Of course, borrowing of Buddhist terms is a consequence of the development of Buddhist ideas. The main purpose of the study is to describe the features of borrowed Buddhist terms, which are the result of an inextricable connection between the process of their appearing in the Buryat language and the history of Buddhism popularization among the Mongolian–speaking peoples. The objectives of the study include: 1) justification of intensification periods of entering the Buddhist terms into the lexicological system of the Buryat language against a historical background; 2) a brief historical and linguistic description of periods of the mass appearance of the Buddhist terms; 3) identification of the peculiarities of the semantics of individual borrowings belonging to different periods of borrowing and different donor languages. Results. Based on the historical and linguistic facts, the authors justify the validity of the allocation of periods of appearing of Buddhist terms associated with periods of intensive development of Buddhism. The study showed that in the first period of borrowing Buddhist terms of the Buryat language, their guides were the Sogdian and Uighur languages: from Sanskrit and Tibetan they fell into Sogdian, then into Uighur. It was only after Uighur that they appeared in the Mongolian languages through the old-written Mongolian language. In the second period, Buddhist terms came directly from the Tibetan language to the Buryat language, in some cases the Mongolian language was the intermediary. The third period of intensification of the appearance of Buddhist terms is characterized by the revival of previously borrowed words. The authors conclude that the features of Buddhist terms depend on the donor language, while the roads along which they came to the Buryat language also play an important role: directly or through an intermediary language, orally or in writing.

Introduction. The tradition of hermitage dates back to the shramanas — wandering monks of Ancient India. The main example of a hermit who left worldly life in the palace and became a wandering ascetic in Buddhism is the image of Buddha Shakyamuni. The article examines eight examples of jātakas from the collection “Jātakamālā” (Tib. skyes pa’i rabs kyi rgyud ‘Garland of Jatakas’) by Arya Sura (IV century), associated with the image of a hermit. In these stories, hermitage is associated with asceticism, virtue, and active spiritual practice. A number of Jātakas from the Pali corpus are devoted to the description of the virtue of the Sramanas and ascetics; references to the hermit are found in stories from the Panchatantra collection and in other collections. The goals of the study is a textual and literary analysis of the image of the hermit presented in eight stories from the Jātakamālā; consideration of the presented types of solitude, its meaning and significance in the construction of stories. Results. In the considered Jātakas there was a description of physical, status, psychological, Mahayana types of solitude. An analysis of the image of a hermit from eight stories showed that the desire for physical solitude is part of spiritual practice and corresponds to the image of a bodhisattva in the Mahayana tradition. The author reduces the actions of the hermit hero to following the basic instructions presented in the opening and closing phrases of each Jātaka.

Калмыцкий героический эпос «Джангар» включает большое количество эпических сказаний (песен, глав), относящихся к локальным версиям и репертуарам известных и неизвестных сказителей — джангарчи.  К числу эпических циклов, эпические песни которых объединены единым прологом, взаимосвязанным сюжетом, композиционным единообразием, сходным составом персонажей и рядом других признаков, принято относить  Малодербетовский цикл «Джангара», оригинальные главы которого были зафиксированы в 1862 г. К. Ф. Голстунским и впервые опубликованы в 1864 г. Структурно-содержательная целостность и локализация эпических повествований в одном регионе Калмыцкой степи — в Малодербетовском улусе позволяли исследователям калмыцкого «Джангара» рассматривать указанные три песни как органическое целое, что отображалось в его номинации «малодербетовский список 1864 г.». 
Актуальность монографического исследования Б. Б. Манджиевой «Малодербетовский цикл „Джангара‟: текстология и поэтика в контексте эпической традиции калмыков» заключается в том, что единство и целостность Малодербетовского цикла «Джангара» изучается с позиций текстологии, поскольку именно вербальное воплощение эпоса передает его неповторимое содержание, манифестирует стадиальные, национальные, локальные особенности эпической традиции, показывает поэтико-стилевую фактуру репертуарного нарратива того или иного сказителя.