According to legend, this poplar was planted in the early XX century by a Buddhist monk. He brought the seeds from Tibet, where he had been on a pilgrimage. The monk put the seeds in a traveling staff and buried them on the highest point of a hill in the vast steppe. The poplar grew into a gigantic tree with spreading branches casting a deep shadow. All who made long journeys on horseback stopped here to rest and appealed to the poplar with requests. The tree then fullfilled these wishes. The "Lonely Poplar" is regarded as a shrine in Kalmykia.