Ancient Buddha sculpture found in a temple at Vedaranyam

A stone sculpture that had stood quietly within the Pidari Amman temple complex at Umbalacheri village, near Vedaranyam, has been formally identified as an ancient Buddha idol, its true identity obscured by passage of time.

The idol was found resting on a raised platform on the western side of the temple premises, along the village panchayat road. Carved from wheat-brown stone, it depicts the Buddha in a serene meditative posture — seated in ardhapadmasana, with elongated ears and a sculpted halo framing the head. Researchers recorded the torso at 46 cm in height and 34 cm in width, with the head measuring 11.5 cm in length and 9 cm across.

The study was conducted by researchers Themmavur Nandan, Nalangkilli, and Arul Muthukumaran, who noted that despite severe weathering, traces of an ushnisha — the cranial protuberance characteristic of Chola-style Buddhist iconography — remain discernible, as do faint folds of the robe near the thigh.

Tamil Nadu Archaeology Department official K. Vasanthakumar said the undivided Nagapattinam district holds abundant Buddhist traces, anchored by the historical presence of viharas in Nagapattinam town and at Poompuhar. The Umbalacheri find adds another point to what is becoming an increasingly detailed map of the region’s Buddhist past.

K. Birla Thangadurai, State Deputy President of the Buddhist Society of India and founder of Keezhathanjai Mandram, who was present at the site, placed the find within a broader constellation of Buddha statues across the district that remain largely unknown to the public. Among the documented sites: a 4.5-foot standing Buddha at Pushpavanam in Vedaranyam; a 4.5-foot statue at Budhamangalam in Kilvelur; a five-foot sculpture with its head removed at Keeranthi in Keezhaiyur; the current three-foot find at Umbalacheri; and one statue from Velankanni now held at the Nagapattinam Museum.

“Nagapattinam is Buddhist land — its soil holds centuries of dharma. But that heritage is being sidelined,” Mr. Thangadurai said and urged the government to launch a systematic survey of Buddhist heritage across the district.

Those who were present during the field study include K. Ramachandran, Deputy Collector and founder of Keezhathanjai Mandram; history enthusiasts Tamilmurasu, Pradeeban, and Saravanan; and temple administrator Deenadayalan.