The Kalmyk people are originally from western Mongolia. Their westward migration into the Russian steppes began in 1618 after a prolonged conflict with the rulers of Mongolia. After more than a century of prosperity in Russia, the Kalmyks fled into Turkey and Eastern Europe to escape the Bolshevik revolution. During WWII, many Kalmyks were deported to Siberia or dispersed throughout Europe. Those Kalmyks who sought refuge in Displaced Persons camps run by the Americans after the war eventually arrived in the U.S. in 1951 and 1952. A group of Kalmyks settled in Howell, NJ at that time and established Buddhist Temples along the Route 9 corridor that remain to this day.
The Kalmyks’ Russian connection is evident in the Russian Orthodox churches also present in Lakewood and Howell. Kalmykia exists as an autonomous republic of the Russian Federation and maintains diplomatic and cultural ties with Mongolia.
The Monmouth Muse 