Chinnaselam, Kallakurichi

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Ardhanareshwarar, Perumal temples; Buddhism

MT Saju, 12thC Buddha sculpture used to tether cattle in Tamil Nadu village, October 28, 2018: The Times of India

Villagers in Chinnaselam tether their cattle to the 12th century Buddha sculpture, located amid a paddy field
From: MT Saju, 12thC Buddha sculpture used to tether cattle in Tamil Nadu village, October 28, 2018: The Times of India

ANCIENT PIECE OF ART LYING IN RUINS

Three months ago, when heritage enthusiast Pon Venkatesan visited Chinnaselam, a remote village in Kallakurichi in Villupuram district, he found an ancient sculpture of Buddha lying neglected in a paddy field. A week ago, he revisited the village after the harvest, and what he found was disturbing: the Buddha sculpture being used by villagers for tethering their cattle. Like a noose, they tie the rope around the neck of the 4-ft tall Buddha sculpture, which lies neglected for long.

Interestingly, the 12th Century old sculpture is lying close to two famous temples, one of Ardhanareshwarar and the other of Perumal. “When I first found it hidden inside the paddy field, I felt sad. I couldn’t go close to it as there was thick vegetation around it. People here don’t know the importance of this ancient piece of art. They use it for tethering their cattle regularly,” said Venkatesan, president of the Salem Historical Research Centre.

Buddhism came to what’s today’s Tamil Nadu during the 3rd century BC and prevailed in the Chola country up to the 16th century AD. The Tamil inscriptions found in the nearby temples say the village was called Pon Parasina Manakovarayan Mahathai Nattu. The presence of the Buddha sculpture shows that Buddhism might have been popular in the region.

Seated in Padmasana, the Buddha has beautiful eyes, smiling lips, elongated ears and curly hair. “The usnisha (flame atop the head) and part of the nose are found slightly broken. It has broad chest and wide shoulders. The upper robe draped on the left shoulder extends to the navel. This Buddha has the iconographical aspects of the granite Buddhas found in the Chola country comprising composite Trichy, composite Thanjavur and Pudukottai district of Tamil Nadu,” said B Jambulingam, a Buddhist scholar based in Thanjavur.

The tragedy, however, is that it is being treated as a mere piece of rock. “We can’t blame the villagers. They are not aware of its importance. I am planning to write to the state archaeology department asking them to care for it. An immediate action is the need of the hour,” said Venkatesan.