An ancient Buddha statue identified in the Pidari Amman temple complex at Umbalacheri near Vedaranyam. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
A stone statue that stood quietly in the Pidari Amman temple complex in Umbalacheri village near Vedaranyam has been formally identified as an ancient Buddha idol whose true identity has been obscured over 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 peaceful meditative posture — seated in ardhapadmasana, with elongated ears and a carved halo framing his head. Researchers recorded a torso measuring 46 cm in height and 34 cm in width, with the head measuring 11.5 cm in length and 9 cm in width.
The study was carried out by researchers Themmavur Nandan, Nalangkilli and Arul Muthukumaran, who noted that despite heavy weathering, traces of the ushnisha – the cranial protrusions characteristic of Chola-style Buddhist iconography – remain discernible, as do the faint folds of the robe near the thigh.
Tamil Nadu Archaeological Department official K. Vasanthakumar said that the undivided Nagapattinam district bears abundant Buddhist traces anchored by the historical presence of viharas in Nagapattinam town and Poompuharu. 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 the Keezhatanjai Mandram, who was present at the site, placed the find within a wider constellation of Buddha statues across the district that remain largely unknown to the public. Among the sites documented: a 4.5-foot standing Buddha at Pushpavanam in Vedaranyam; 4.5-foot statue at Budhamangalam in Kilvelur; a five-foot decapitated statue at Keeranthi in Keezhaiyur; the present three-foot find at Umbalacheri; and one sculpture from Velankanni, now in the Nagapattinam Museum.
“Nagapattinam is a Buddhist land – its soil contains centuries of dharma. But this heritage is going by the wayside,” Mr. Thangadurai said, urging the government to start a systematic survey of Buddhist heritage in the entire district.
Those present during the field study include K. Ramachandran, Deputy Collector and founder of Keezhatanjai Mandram; history buffs Tamilmurasu, Pradeeban and Saravanan; and caretaker of the Deenadayalan temple.
Published – 15 May 2026 18:33 IST
