Alappuzha: The department of archaeology has decided to carry out a detailed study on the Buddha idol found near the Subrahmanya Swamy temple, Mangalathu, Chengannur recently.
Though the curator of the archaeological department had confirmed it as Buddha statue, the local people and some historians have said that it was the idol of the two centuries-old temple. Mr J. Rejikumar, director, department of archaeology, told Deccan Chronicle that an excavation would be conducted on the basis of the preliminary report filed by curator R. Rajeshkumar.
The local people and temple administrators believe that it is a temple idol carved under the concept of 'Yogeeswara Bhava.'
According to Mr Parameswara Varier, temple administrator, there was a practice of throwing aged and defaced idols into the Varattar, a tributary of Pampa river, alongside the temple. In the past, many sand mining parties had found such idols but they abandoned them in the river itself due to the fear of god. As per tantric rule, the desecrated idols should not be installed for worshiping, he said.
Historians like M.G. Sasibhooshan and C.I. Isaac have endorsed the arguments of the temple administrators. They believe that the idol was carved under the Yogeeswara concept. If it's of Buddha, it might have been brought to that place by outsiders, they say.
The curator argued that the Buddha idol belongs to the ninth century. The place is enriched with 700-year-old artefacts. To trace them out, an excavation is needed, he said in his report.
The statue has similarities with the common Buddha idols with skull cap and shawl. The right arm is broken off the body. Along with the idol, the figure of a woman applying bindi on her forehead and looking at a mirror is also seen.
The curator said it resembled the 'Siddhayana' worshiped by Buddhists. "As per geometrical significance, the place has a lot of features of an ancient worshiping centre," he observed.
