The “Kalmyk” Collection of the Saratov Museum of Local History in the Context of Anti-Religious Propaganda

The religious policy of the Soviet state in the first third of the 20th century was aimed at destroying the influence of religion and the authority of the clergy on society. As part of the ideological rivalry with confessions, temples, each of which was an architectural monument, and objects of worship, which were the result of the creative activity of the masters of the past centuries, were destroyed. The article is devoted to the so-called “Kalmyk” collection of the Saratov Regional Museum of Local History. The purpose of the article is to study exhibits from the collections of the Saratov Regional Museum of Local History related to the history and religious beliefs of the Kalmyk people in the context of the anti-religious policy of the Soviet state. Materials and methods. By using the problem-chronological method of analyzing revenue books, periods of replenishment of funds with items from Kalmykia were identified. Further research allowed us to hypothesize the existence of a correlation between the date of admission and the anti-religious campaign of the Soviet state. Results. The main dates of admission, first of all, objects of Buddhist worship, relate to 1929 and 1932–1933. If single items were received in different years, then mass admissions took place in these years. It was at this time that the struggle against religion intensified, during which objects of the original culture of the nomadic Kalmyk people were destroyed, each of which represented not only material value, but also scientific one

Archaeology · Central European and Russian historical studies · History · Religious Studies and Spiritual Practices · Religious Tourism and Spaces