சோழ நாட்டில் பௌத்தம்

Since joined research I have been much attached to the Pattisvaram area because it had more number of Buddha statues. In Pattisvaram, near Gopinathaperumalkovil,  we saw two buddha statues during the earlier field study  in a grove. Now, let us go to see the Buddha found in Muthumariamman temple.  October 1993 That was the time when I registered for M.Phil. in Madurai Kamaraj University and started my research. I was at a confusion. From where to start my work? At that time Buddhism and Tamil (in Tamil) (1940) of Mayilai Seeni Venkatasamy helped me. In the book he records some places as having Buddha statues. In order to confirm whether the statues are found now, I went to so many places referred by him. Of those places, Pattisvaram is also one.  Quoting epigraphical evidence, in his work, he says about the prevalence of a Buddha statue in a village amman temple in Pattisvaram. Instantly Pattisvaram Durga Temple came to my mind, as Pattisvaram was a place I frequente...

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 a...

May 1998 From The Hindu of 8.5.1998  (10th century Buddha statue to get separate shrine )  I came to know about the prevalence of a Buddha statue in my study area. So far I had books and articles as source material for my research. This is the first time that a newspaper clippping became a source. From it I came to know that, according to historian Mr K.Sridharan, a 10th century CE Buddha was found in Aravandiamman temple in Mangalam, Musiri taluk, Trichy district of Tamil Nadu and a separate shrine was being built there for the Buddha statue. June 1998 After one month, I went to the All India Radio, Trichy, to record my talk entitled  Buddhism in Thanjavur district (in Tamil) . After the assignment, as I planned to go to Mangalam, I went to Musiri from Trichy.  It was noon. I enquired for the bus, I was informed that buses plying through Thatthayangarpettai and some buses to Mettuppalayam would go through Mangalam. In order to not to waste the time I had my meals t...

After registering for research, among others, I started to search for a new Nagapattinam Buddha bronze in the study area. I attempted to find one such bronze since 1993. But only in 1999, I had the chance of seeing it. This is the second finding, the first one being the moustach Buddha.   Since 1856 more than 350 Buddha bronzes were unearthed, from Nagapattinam.  They are exhibited in many museums in India and abroad. During the field study carried out alongwith Mr Ayyampet Selvaraj, we found a new Nagapattinam Buddha bronze sculpture in Ayyampet, Thanjavur district. The family members who came from Nagapattinam and settled at Ayyampet worship the Buddha as Munisvaran, for the past three generations. It is of 9 cm height.  The left hand rests on the lap while the right hand is in bhumisparsa or earth-touching attitude. The face, body, and the upper garment are not clear. The iconographical feature of this image resembled one of the Nagapattinam Buddha bronzes exhibited ...

Of all the field trips the one which stands in my mind was that of Puthur. During my two decade old research that was the very first time that I pedalled nearly 25 kms to see a Buddha  at Puthur in Tiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu. The pains which I faced during that trip left me when it - the news of the finding of a Buddha - was informed through media.  April 1999 During my field work at Puthakaram and Pushpavanam I had the chance of going to I.Sengatti-Kaduveli. At that time Mr Govindaraj from the area enquired about my research. Then he asked me if I had seen the Buddha at Pushpavanam. When I told him that I would be going there to see it he informed me that there was a Buddha in Puthur. He also gave me the location of the place in detail. At that time only I came to know about the Buddha. Though I tried my level best to go over there, due to want of time I could able to go upto Pushpavanam only.   So many Buddhas were found in Tiruvarur district. I was ...