Buddha at the crossroads
Updated: June 6, 2013 11:33 IST
Buddha at the crossroads
- The HinduThiyaganur buddha. Photo: A. Srivathsan
- The HinduTheir own Sami: Buddha with an angavastram. Photo: A. Srivathsan
- The Hindu
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What explains the large number of Buddha statues in and around Thiyaganur, a nondescript Tamil Nadu village? We may never know, says A. Srivathsan, after taking in some unusual forms of the Shakya Muni.
In most ways, Thiyaganur is a typical village in Tamil Nadu. Matchbox
houses with gleaming white walls and red earth tiles, fields with
irregular patterns, a provision store that sells garishly coloured
beverages, and the occasional bus chugging through. The lime-washed
temple, in this village 80 km north-west of Tiruchi, has a familiar air
about it too. Until one gets closer.
Inside this modest structure, framed by four granite columns, is a
six-foot Buddha — cross-legged, contemplative and smiling. The hitherto
unnoticed peepal tree on the roadside, shading the temple, suddenly
draws venerable attention.
This is not the only Buddha that the villages of Thiyagnur are familiar
with. Around them, in their fields, on their roads and in the many
villages nearby, lie scattered centuries-old Buddha sculptures — seated
calmly and smiling benignly.
How did they come here?
The dense presence of Buddhas in this far-flung region is intriguing.
Though Buddhism was widespread in Tamil Nadu, this region is not among
the well-known Buddhist centres. The sculptures are a puzzle, and
probably hold the key to an important part of history that is yet to be
written.
The Buddha, as the Buddhist texts describe, is strikingly handsome,
serene and radiant as “a palm-tree fruit just loosened from the stalk”.
His calm appearance, topped with coal-black hair, is profoundly
impressive. Villagers in Thiyaganur have not read these texts nor do
they know about Buddhism, but they still vouch that these Buddha idols
are kindly, attractive and bestow the boons one wishes for.
This is not surprising. To these villagers, He is not Shakya Muni — as
the rest of the world knows the Buddha — but one of their Hindu gods.
They fondly wrap Him with a silk angavasthram (an upper garment worn by
the Tamil upper class), apply a streak of sandal paste on his forehead,
and make offerings of coconut, plantain and camphor. They often beseech
Him with prayers for good luck, well being and quick cure for their
ailments. They call Him Buddha Sami (Buddha god).
G. Pandurangan, 71, the retired livestock supervisor now in charge of
the temple, says, “People from a Buddhist monastery near Bangalore
visited this temple sometime back. They wanted us to go to Bangalore and
undertake training in the proper way to conduct rituals. They promised
to bear the expenses. But we were not interested. He is our Buddha Sami
and we want to worship him in the manner we know. We take good care of
this temple and offer him sakarai pongal (sweetened steamed rice) and
sundal (steamed and fried chick pea).”
Buddhism reached Tamil country during Emperor Ashoka's reign — Third
Century BCE. Its emphasis on moral values and egalitarian ideals were
widely embraced. For 700 years, Buddhism flourished and coexisted
peacefully with Jainism, Ajivikas and various sects of Hinduism. During
the Sixth Century CE, the Bhakti movement and its Tamil saints seriously
challenged Buddhism; royal patronage shifted and Buddhism's influence
became limited. When Hsuan Tsang, the Chinese traveller, visited South
India in the Seventh Century, it was well past its prime.
A long presence
But contrary to popular perception, Buddhism did not completely
disappear after this period. The discovery of many 13th Century Buddhist
bronzes in Nagapattinam, the presence of Virasoliyam (an 11th Century
grammar text composed by a Buddhist), and references to eminent scholars
such as Anuruddha and Dharmakirti in later Buddhist texts establish
that the religion thrived at least until the 14th Century. Nor was
Buddhism limited to big urban centres like Kanchipuram or Madurai.
The sculptures of Thiyaganur offer ample proof. These statues —
described more appropriately as Perambalur Buddhas, after the nearest
well-known town — are stylistically datable to approximately the 11th
Century. They are the last of the few in-situ evidences that speak of
the wide presence of Buddhism. Protecting them is critical for any
attempt to restore and rewrite a balanced history of South India. But
they are perilously close to being lost. Apart from half-a-dozen Buddha
stone sculptures found in villages around Thiyaganur — and worshipped by
villagers — the others have been either decapitated or are close to
destruction.
One such headless Buddha can be found amidst wildly grown thorns and
vines in the backyard of a house in Kuzhumoor village. “Though not
worshipped, He was at least intact when I last saw him,” lamented M.
Selvapandiyan, a research scholar interested in the history of the
Pachamalai tribal belt, hills that border Perambalur, who spotted this
sculpture about six years ago. The photographs in his collection showed a
serene Buddha with a profound smile. The villagers suspect two
strangers who were roaming the streets a few months ago. “The two must
have cut the head and taken it away. Perhaps they were idol thieves,” a
few villagers living nearby speculated. However, none filed a complaint.
Not enough
Of the two Buddhas in Thiyaganur, the villagers worship one and ignore
the other — a stunning, broad-shouldered Buddha, framed by a lone thin
tree and seated under a canopy of blue sky — located in private
property, amidst fields. The property owners continue to farm around the
statue, without damaging it, but that may not be enough to safeguard
it. The base of the sculpture is dangerously inclined, and it holds on
to the earth precariously.
A relatively small-sized Buddha, overlooking a four-way junction in the
nearby village of Paravai, fares somewhat better, as He is firmly
cemented to a platform. But barring a few locals who garland Him before
leaving abroad to work, this Buddha is barely attended to. He has no
canopy or cover over the head.
This is not the case with the Buddha in a Dalit colony in Veeraganur.
Lakshmi and her husband Muthuswami, a retired schoolteacher, regularly
clean the statue, sweep the street in front and apply sacred ash on the
forehead and arms of the statue. There are no elaborate pujas or
rituals, but often, in the silent night, people come to place a stone on
the idol's head. To them, it is an offering that will help get rid of
headache and related body pain.
Among all the Buddhas in the Perambalur region, the one in Ogalur is
very popular, particularly with the `Friends in Dubai,' a loose group of
locals who work in West Asia. Members of this group pooled their money
and raised Buddha from the sidewalks of the street to a higher platform.
On the eve of their departure, they climb the flight of steps to
garland him without fail. They believe that this old practice brings
luck and protects them.
These appropriations have not disfigured the icons nor have they forced a
name change. The villagers address and know these sculptures as Buddha —
the curled hair, the tuft, the long ears and robes are still
identifiable. But this is poor consolation. The question is whether
these historical treasures survive to see the future. Art alone is not
at stake; historical geography is too.
Nagapattinam Buddhas
Apart from stone sculptures, more than 400 Buddhist bronzes have been
unearthed in Tamil Nadu. More than 350 are from the ancient port of
Nagapattinam.
This historic city was an active Buddhist centre during the Chola
period. During the 11th century CE, the Sailendra kings of Sumatra built
a large vihara here, which was visited by Buddhist monks from different
countries. A 15th century Pali inscription discovered at the old city
of Pegu in Burma attests to this. Ruins of a ‘Buddhist pagoda', till the
Jesuit missionaries demolished them in the 19th century, were visible
in Nagapattinam.
The Theravada or orthodox form of Buddhism, which views the Buddha as a
great ascetic rather than a god, was widely prevalent in Tamil Nadu.
However, many of the Nagapattinam bronzes belong to the the opposing
tradition – the Mahayana, which views the Buddha as a superhuman. Along
with the Buddha, images of Boddhisatvas such as Avalokitesvara were also
discovered. These images, like the other Chola bronzes, are of
appreciable artistic merit.
Many of these bronzes are now part of the Chennai Government Museum
collection. Unfortunately, only a small number is currently on display.
For further reading: The Nagapattinam and other Buddhist Bronzes in the Madras Government Museum, T.N. Ramachandran, Museum Publication, 1954.
The article has been corrected for a spelling error.
Thanks to : The Hindu
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