Karumadi, a motley village in Ambalappuzha, became a venue of religious camaraderie on Wednesday.
A few hundreds of Buddhists converged in front of Karumadikuttan, a statue of Buddha, amidst chants of ‘Dharmam Saranam, Sangham Saranam’ as candles were lit.
The occasion was Buddha Purnima, organised by Kerala Buddhist Council.
It was for the first time that the festival was celebrated here on a State level, inviting guests from different States.
The presence of Tibetan lamas and Buddhist monks from Maharashtra and other States enriched the motley crowd as Dharmadesana, the message of Dharma, rent the air.
A seminar on ‘Karumadikuttan and Buddha dharma’ was among the programmes held at the venue.
Every year
“The rituals provided an opportunity to the local populace to follow ‘upasana’ in true Buddhist style. In the past, many of the visitors had offered ‘kumkum’ and sandalwood paste at the pagoda, the seat of the Buddha statue, a practice not in conformity with Buddhist traditions,” said K. Viswanathan, general secretary of the council.
Inspiring
“The blend of cultures and the camaraderie was inspiring. The organisation is planning to conduct the programme every year on Buddha Purnima. Several other programmes to highlight the Panchseel and other tenets of Buddhism are on the anvil,” he said.
Buddhist remnants
The three-ft high, black granite statue, with its left portion missing, is said to belong to a period between 10th and 12th century, and represent the remains of Buddhist culture that prevailed in Kerala.
The statue was found in ‘karumadi thodu,’ a stream, and was installed by Robert Bristow, a British engineer in 1930s, according to historians.
Dalai Lama had visited the site in 1965.
The location has been attracting domestic and foreign tourists and its upkeep has been entrusted to the Department of Archaeology.
