In search of imprints of Buddhism : Gopinathaperumalkovil

In Chola Nadu, numerous Buddha statues have been found. I am carrying out field work in this area. The happiness I got when I found two Buddha statues in Pattisvaram area, starting from 1993, faded away when I went there, in August 2011, to know that they were missing. 

October  1993

Based on the book "Buddhism and Tamil" of Mayilai Seeni Venkatasamy I came to know that there was a Buddha statue in a temple of village deity. I started searching for the Buddha statue. At first I went to Durga Temple, Pattisvaram, Thanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. Then I had been to so many temples. At last I reached the Muthumariamman Temple in Pattisvaram-Govindakkudi road and saw the Buddha statue. I recorded about it in my Ph.D. thesis entitled "Buddhism in Chola Nadu" (Tamil University, Thanjavur, 1999). Though my search was started in October 1993, I could able to find it only in October 1998. During the search I came to know that there were some more Buddhas in the area, I went around hoping to find Buddha statue in Pattisvaram, Pazhayarai, Chozhanmaaligai, Muzhaiyur, Udayalur, and Tiruvalanchuzhi and found two Buddha statues, the first new Buddhas in the area. 

February 2002

I concentrated in these areas to find any new Buddha. On such a field trip I saw one headless Buddha, without peeta, in a grove near a place called Gopinathaperumalkovil, 2 km from Pattisvaram,  in Pattisvaram-Tiruvalanchuzhi road, Kumbakonam taluk, Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu.  The  Buddha, of nearly two feet height,  was found in sitting padmasana dhyana posture having upper garment over the chest, dharmachakra on the right palm, and broad shoulders. The news about the finding of this Buddha appeared in many Tamil dailies Dina Boomi,  Dinakaran, Dinamalar, Dinamani, Dina Thanthi,Kalaikkathir, Tamil Murasu, and Tamil edition of Tamil University News Bulletin.

On seeing the newspaper clippings the staff of Sun TV and JayaTV contacted me, expressed their wish to see the Buddha and asked me to take them to the spot. Alongwith them I went there. They asked me to explain the iconographical aspects of the Buddha statue. It was duly recorded by them and broadcast in the TV the next day. During our visit there we found a granite stone upside down. Later we came to know that it was a damaged statue.  From its sitting posture and a peeta I understood that it was a Buddha statue. The right palm was kept on the leg facing upwards, having dharmachakra on it. After confirming it, I photographed it. I felt very happy to find two Buddha statues in one particular place at a small distance. I considered it as a main source for my research. 

August 2011

After a decade I went there to see the Buddhas. From Thanjavur I got a bus for Kumbakonam and got down at Tiruvalanchuzhi. From the bus stop I started walking, towards the place where I saw the Buddhas earlier, enjoying the greenery fields and enquiring the locals about the Buddhas. 

'Previously it was a coconut grove. Now Bananas are grown there' said one local. 'There is no statue here' said another.  'Even two or three years back I saw' one lamented.  'In the banana grove it was found in a corner' said a villager. I reached very near to that place. Around cocoanut grove I saw a banana grove now. I searched for the Buddhas throughout the groves. Nothing found.  I also went to nearby groves and searched.  Bamboo groves were found nearby. I searched there also, resulting thorn pricking my foot. It was noon. The rays of Sun directly fell on my head. I searched all the groves in the area. To me all the stones were looked like Buddha statues. But there were no Buddhas. One villager, weaving the coacoanut palm leaves, said 'Previously I heard about statues. I do not know that if such statue is found now.' When searching the statue for nearly five hours the locals talked about my search of Buddha.  

No Buddha was found. I felt tired. I wanted to escape from the scorching Sun and sat under the trees nearby for some time. The snacks and the drinking water which I had, gave some solace. Without losing hope I once again started to search the Buddha, but in vain. When I started leaving, I happened to see a person who I met earlier. He said to me, 'Ten years back you came here twice or thrice. I saw you then. I still remember that at that time we saw two Buddhas. Have you come here to see the Buddhas?.' I bid goodbye to my tiredness and felt happy.  'The statue is kept in the banana grove, in a corner under a tree. Please come with me. I will show it', he said and took me to that place.

As his words gave me hope, I followed him. He showed the place.  Nothing was found there. But he confirmed seeing Buddhas till some time back. Hoping that they would be there, it seems, he took me. As there was no Buddha statues he felt shocked.  'Till some days back I saw', he said. I could not able to understand whether that some days referred to some days or some years. He started searching the grove thoroughly. After feeling pity he showed me a nearby grove. As a last chance, I accompanied him there. 

When I informed him about my earlier trips he said, 'The statue was kept in a secluded place when some work went on there. Later it was not found. I had no time to watch it. Only after  your keen interest I came to understand its importance. If I have realised its importance earlier, we would have kept it safe'. I asked him, 'How many days back you saw the statues?' On the basis of seeding he calculated and told me that it might have been some four or five years, prefereably 2006 or 2007. I could not get any more information from him. He said, 'At a short distance there is a house of a teacher. You can contact him. I thanked him for accompanying and guiding me and left from there. On my way I enquired the locals about the Buddha statues. Somebody confirmed me having seen the Buddhas till some time back.  

Possessing the information I met the teacher and introduced me.  I could not able to get any useful information from him. He told me that he did not see any Buddhas or hear anything about them in the area. I told him about the iconographical aspects of those Buddhas and asked him to let me know, if he get any information.  Later I left from there. The statues that I saw one decade back was not found. Whether they might have been buried? Or somebody have taken them for keeping them to a safety place. Hoping to hear a good news, I left the place. The words that history would not forgive us, came to mind.   

2023

These Buddha images are documented in the Tamil and English editions of my book (Chola Nattil Bautham,  Pudhu Ezuthu, 2022, p.74), (Buddhism in Chola Nadu,  Pudhu Ezuthu, 2023, pp.71, 73).

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Thanks: Informants, dailies, and Tamil University News Bulletin (Tamil)

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தமிழில் வாசிக்க : பௌத்த சுவட்டைத் தேடி : கோபிநாதப்பெருமாள்கோயில்

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