The town of Elista was founded in 1865. Its name comes from the Kalmyk word “elstya” meaning “sandy”. Elista is a town with modern conveniences, with high level of cultural life, political, administrative, cultural and economical center of Kalmykia.

There are Russian Orthodox, Buddhist, Catholic, Muslim religious centers in Elista representing different religious beliefs of the peoples living in the republic.

As Kalmykia is the Buddhist republic previous connections with the Buddhists of the whole world, that had been destroyed before, are being actively restored: in 1991 and 1992 Dalai-Lama 14 visited Kalmykia, and in October 1996 the biggest Buddhist temple in Kalmykia was opened.

Elista has an original district City Chess built in 1998 for World Chess Olympic. The architecture and sculptures of the complex is characterized by originality and inventiveness.

The central part of Elista is a picturesque and colorful architectural ensemble. The central park of the city has a number of local draws:

The Statue of Buddha, an object of religious worship; locals come to Buddha to ask questions, put their gifts at the foot of the statue, walk around it 3 times and then go away not turning their backs upon Buddha.

The Holy Gates, built in Mongolian style; locals believe that passing through the gates might help to clean the sole of a person.

There are also a host of stone sculptures made in the Kalmyk national style. Lanterns, bus stations, and pavilions are also colorfully stylized.