Historical and Architectural Identity of Buryat Temple Structures

The article deals with the peculiarities of the architecture of the Buryat Buddhist datsans of ethnic Buryatia. The author identifies the features of the constructive, decorative and ornamental elements of the external decoration, which are an important component of temple structures. The stylistic features of the cult architecture of Buryat monasteries are revealed in comparison with the samples of Buddhist architecture in Mongolia and Tibet. The author concludes that architectural ensembles of temples in Buryatia combine individual forms, elements of Russian church cult architecture and local traditions, schools and works of individual masters and concludes that Buddhist temple construction reached its peak at the beginning of the 20th century.