சோழ நாட்டில் பௌத்தம்

Chennai:  B Jambulingam’s search for Buddha idols began with an ordinary visit to a remote village in Thanjavur in the 1980s. The villagers had excavated a Buddha idol, and Jambulingam noted down the dimensions of the stone idol on a cigarette packet. Back home in Thanjavur, he started studying various aspects of the idol.     His research drew him to Buddhism, and he began travelling to villages across Tamil Nadu in search of Buddha statues.     He once pedalled more than 25 miles on his old Hercules bicycle to see a Buddha idol in Puthur. Jambulingam has identified 66 Buddha idols in the erstwhile Chola country, and the journey is still on.     “I have found 66 Buddha statues in Thanjavur, Tiruchi and Pudukottai districts during my field study. Many were in the sitting posture. The latest Buddha, the 66th, was found during my study in Kandramanickam in July 2012,” he said.     The most...