Monument Exodus and Return

Exodus and Return (Kalm. Buslen Boln Boshlen) - a monument of authorship by Ernst Neizvestniy, located in the eastern part of the city of Elista, Kalmykia. The monument is dedicated to the deportation of the Kalmyk people to Siberia.

The monument was unveiled on December 29, 1996 in memory of the deportation of the Kalmyk people in 1943 and the victims of Stalinist repressions. The architect of the monument is S. Kurneev, Ernst Unknown became the sculptor. The monument was cast in bronze in New York, USA.

Every year on December 28 near the monument commemorates the victims of deportation of Kalmyks.

The memorial complex consists of several elements: the Exodus and Returns monument itself, which stands on top of the artificially created mound, railway carriage and memorial tablet. Ascent to the monument is carried out along a spiral path, which clockwise wraps around the mound, repeating the rite of passage around the Buddhist temple of the Hurul.

At the foot of the mound is a railway carriage on which Kalmyks were transported to Siberia [source not specified 1046 days]. The wagon is on rails that lead to the mound. On the left side of the rail are 14 granite columns according to the number of years (1943-1957), during which the Kalmyk people were in exile. At the end of the rail is a memorial tablet with an excerpt from a poem by David Kugultinov