Karumadi, a sleepy village in Ambalappuzha, will resound with chants of Buddhist monks on May 10. A number of Buddhists will gather on the premises of a pilgrim centre where a statue, known as Karumadikuttan, has been installed.
The three-ft high black granite statue, in a sitting posture, has its left half missing. The statue has been considered by historians as part of the remnants of Buddhist culture that existed in the area centuries ago. Recognised as that of Lord Buddha, the statue is believed to be of the period between 10th and 12th century.
The statue was found from Karumadi Thodu, a stream, and was installed at the present location by Robert Bristow, a British engineer in 1930s, according to historians.
The left side of the statue is believed to have been damaged in an attack by an elephant. Though a part of the missing section was recovered from the neighbourhood, there was disapproval on affixing the same on the statue. Dalai Lama visited the site in 1965.
The site was renovated by the government two years ago. The site is at present under the Department of Archaeology.
The Kerala Buddhist Council is organising this year’s State-level Buddha Purnima celebrations in association with the department at the venue, N.Haridas Bodh, organising secretary, said.
Kerala has at least a lakh Buddhist followers, with 20 ‘sanghams’ in various districts, he says. “Buddhist monks from different States and a large number of Buddhists will assemble at the place. Chantings, meditation, and discourses will be organised as part of the celebrations,” he said.
The place is a tourist itinerary and hundreds of domestic and foreign tourists visit the place, said Karumadi Murali, former vice-president of the Ambalappuzha Block panchayat, the chief of a committee formed to renovate the pilgrim centre.
“The 10-cent site is inadequate to contain the increasing flow of tourists. A proposal to hand over more than one acre of poramboke land adjoining the site to the Department of Archaeology is pending with the authorities,” he said.
