Buddhism in Kyrgyzstan

Buddhism in Kyrgyzstan is not very widespread. Buddhism first reached Central Asia via the Great Silk Road. Archaeologists have found traces of the religion's influence along this ancient trade route, including clay statues of Buddha and stones with Buddhist inscriptions. The most famous Buddhist sites in Kyrgyzstan are the mounds in Krasnaya Rechka and Novopokrovka, where large statues of the Buddha have been found.

Out of the 3,257 religious organizations registered with the Kyrgyzstani government, only one is Buddhist. It is based out of a renovated summer house, known as the "place of path," in a suburb about 30 miles south of Bishkek. Its community, known as "Chamsen," or "Liberation" in Korean, was founded in 1996 by ethnic Koreans in the village of Gornaya Maevka. The community does not restrict its followers to any one branch of Buddhism, and as such, both the Nipponzan Myohoji and Karma Kagyu branches are currently practiced. Its members are mostly Russian, Korean, and Kyrgyz.