Nagapattinam :

An ancient stone statue of Lord Buddha containing inscriptions believed to be dating back to 11th or 12th century during the later Chola period has been found by a group of archaeologists and historians at a village in the district.

The statue was found in a bush at Kranthi village earlier this week, during a field study undertaken by the members of association of archaeologists here.

The statue of Buddha, in meditative posture, is 32 inches tall and 22 inches broad. The face portion had sustained damage, association secretary Ramachandran told PTI today.

Dr B Jambulingam of Kumbakonam, a renowned historian, said the statue contained all the features of the Buddha statues of the later Chola period, like broad shoulders, long ears, slender fingers and curly hair.

“The inscription in the statue suggests that the statue might belong to the 11th or 12th century AD,” he said, and added that Buddha statues with such inscriptions were very rare.

Over 64 Buddha statues have been unearthed in the past from the erstwhile Chola country comprising of the present day Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Tiruvaur, Tiruchirappalli and Karur districts, he said.

The district administration had been informed about the statue and it would arrange for detailed archaeological examination, Ramachandran said.

source: http://www.articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> India / by PTI / May 04th, 2013