A monolithic stone idol of Lord Buddha belonging to the 6th A.D. was unearthed by a team of epigraphists at Kavinadu tank, the largest in the district, on Sunday. A stone bead has also been found in the tank.
The idol was found in five pieces and some parts are still missing. Youth practising at the Kavinadu Sports Club, who got the head of the idol, tipped off a couple of epigraphists, who went to the tank and searched for other parts. They could locate the base of the idol and other few parts. But, its hands are yet to be traced.
A. Chandra Bose, Assistant Professor in History of H. H. The Rajah’s College, K. M. Subrahmaniyam, Managing Director of Gandhian Rural Development Research Trust conducted a study on the idol. They said the idol had remained submerged in the water for a long time.
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They said the idol was in a seated posture and was 3.5 feet in height and about three feet broad.
It was meticulously carved with long ears characteristic of Buddha idols.
Historical studies on the Kavinadu tank do not have any reference to the Buddha, although its bunds are bound by the idols of Lord Ganapathy, Karuppar, Kannimars.
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They said that Buddha idols had been unearthed at six places Alangudippatti, Chettippatti, Karur, Sundarapandianpattinam, Vannichipattinam and Vellanur. A stone bead was also unearthed in the area. “Apart from the idol, its presence in the tank together with a bead testify to the ancient importance of Kavinadu tank”, the epigraphists said.