In search of imprints of Buddhism: Valivalam
Dr B Jambulingam During the field study carried out in Tiruvarur district, Buddha statues were found in Puthur (2000), Kudavasal (2002), Tirunattiyattankudi (2003), Ullikkottai (2004), Valayamapuram (2007) and Kandramanickam (2012). To find out the Buddha of Puthur, I pedalled more than 25 kms in a bicycle. Though I came to know of the prevalence of Buddha statues during the time of registering for my research in 1993, I had the chance of seeing the Buddha of Valangaiman in 2007. Other Buddha statues were found based on the information given by friends and scholars. June 2009 Generally I have had chances to find Buddha statue during field work based on clues. Sometimes I returned without success. Such an incident happened during the field study carried out in Nagapattinam. One of my friends informed me that there was a Buddha statue near Kadampadi, in the heart of Nagapattinam town. When I visited that place I was not able to locate any Buddha or trace any im...