Overview
Ayuka, great-grandson of the Torghut chief Kho Orluk, who had led his people west to the Volga, raised the Kalmyks from a migrating confederation to a khanate. He was the first Kalmyk ruler to hold the khan title, which the Dalai Lama conferred on him with a seal in 1690.
Rise to Power
He succeeded his father Puntsuk (Monchak) as taishi, the title of the earlier Kalmyk chiefs, in 1672, and ruled for eighteen years before taking the khan title.
Rule and Achievements
- Made the Kazakhs and the Turkmen of Mangyshlak pay tribute and moved some Turkmen to the Volga
- Supported Russia under formal agreements, sending troops against the Astrakhan and Bulavin revolts (1705–1709), in the Great Northern War and in the Persian campaign of 1722–1723
- Received gifts from Peter the Great, who met him in 1722
- Received a Qing embassy led by Tulišen in 1714
Legacy
He died in 1724 after fifty-two years in power. The struggle among his sons and grandsons that followed weakened the khanate and gave Russia more say in choosing its rulers.