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Two Buddha statues have been discovered. (Hindu) |
Archaeologists in southern India have unearthed two Buddha statues dating back to the 10th century, featuring inscriptions that document the visit of a Buddhist king from Southeast Asia.
The rare artifacts were found last weekend beneath the rubble of a government office in the village of Kolappakkam.
“This discovery is significant evidence of the strong religious, diplomatic, and trade relations between India and Southeast Asia over 1,000 years ago,” said archaeologist Satyamurthy.
The area is located near a temple dedicated to the deity Shiva and may have been part of the temple complex in ancient times.
The inscriptions carved on granite, written in Tamil, indicate that a king from the Srivijaya dynasty, hailing from the island nation of Sumatra – now part of Indonesia – made a pilgrimage to the temple, where Shiva is worshipped as the embodiment of Agastheeshwara.
Buddhist kings also revered Agastheeshwara. The inscription further notes that the king purchased a local piece of land and donated it to the temple.
The stone statues, nearly 1 meter tall, depict the Buddha with East Asian facial features in a meditative posture, indicating that they were brought by the king of Srivijaya.
M.T.
