Bidia Dandaron

Bidia Dandarovich Dandaron (; 1914–1974), religious name Chitta-Vajra , was a Soviet Buryat Buddhist lama, Tibetologist, Buddhologist and translator, known for being the successor of the Balagat movement. A victim of Soviet religious persecution, Dandaron was imprisoned for a total of 15 years throughout his life and died aged 59 in Vydrino Labor Camp.

Education Dandaron received his Buddhist education from Tsydenov as well as his father and other local lamas.

Religious life and persecution On 3 June 1937, Dandaron was arrested for counter-revolutionary activities and charged under Article 58 and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment. During his imprisonment Dandaron was tortured and contracted tuberculosis. Dandaron returned to Buryatia in 1957 and began working at the institute Dandaron was accused of leading a Buddhist "sect" in which he led his followers in "bloody sacrifices", "ritual copulations", and "attempts to murder or beat former members of the sect who had wanted to break with it", and of having "contacts with foreign countries and international Zionism". Shulunova died sometime during Dandaron's first imprisonment, whilst travelling from Leningrad to Ulan-Ude. Semichov, B. V.; Parfionovich, Yu. M.; Dandaron, B. D.; State Publishing House of Foreign and National Dictionaries. (1963). Parfionovich, Yu. M. (ed.).

Posthumous publications