Buddha mandapam

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Buddha mandapam
Found near banks of the Pallikkal canal, which flows near Karunagappally in Kollam district.


www.keralahistory.ac.in/images/bharanikavu_buddha.jpg
All the statues excavated in Kollam, Alapuzha belts are in seated posture, resembling Padmasana. A feature common to the idols is that hair has not been engraved on the head. Studies by the Archaeology Department have not been able to explain the absence of hair which is common in Buddha statues of the Gandhara and Mathura tradition.

Oldest Budha Statue, excavated from the banks of the Pallikkal canal, which flows near Karunagappally in Kollam district.
Four idols considered to be of the Buddha, belonging to the ninth century A.D., stand steeped in mystery in different parts of Alappuzha district, demanding serious study by archaeologists and historians. The idols are the only such ones in the State that have been declared monuments by the State Archaeological Department.

The idols are found behind Sree Krishna Temple at Karumady, near Ambalappuzha; in front of Sree Krishna Temple, Mavelikara; in front of Bharanikkavu Devi Temple, also near Mavelikkara; and at Krishnapuram Palace, Kayamkulam.

While the idols at Karumady, Mavelikara and Bharanikkavu were recovered from the same areas, that at the palace was recovered from the banks of the Pallikkal canal, which flows near Karunagappally in Kollam district.

All the statues are in seated posture, resembling Padmasana. A feature common to the idols is that hair has not been engraved on the head. Studies by the Archaeology Department have not been able to explain the absence of hair which is common in Buddha statues of the Gandhara and Mathura tradition.

The idol at Karumady is the most famous. Known in local tradition as Karumadikkuttan, it is a 3.5-foot statue made out of black rock, seated on a pedestal facing west.

The head has markings resembling a headgear. Though the department has made a pagoda-like structure for the statue, no information on the idol is available to tourists who visit the area. Local people in the area light lamps before the idol.

The idol at Mavelikara is four-foot high and is perhaps, the biggest. The engravings on the head resemble a helmet of Greek statues.

The mark of a sacred thread is visible on the body. Another feature is the marking of a shawl on one shoulder. Here the Archaeological Department has put up a board specifying the age of the statue.

The idol at Bharanikkavu is smaller than the one at Mavelikara. Here also the engravings of hair are not prominent. The statue is in seated posture.

The statue at the palace was being used by people as a stone to scrub clothes. The department took it over in 1980.

Officials at the department say studies had revealed that the statues are of Buddha. However, there are historians who maintain that it may not be so. The department is planning to conduct more studies on the idols, officials added.