Karumadikkuttan (Malayalam: കരുമാടിക്കുട്ടൻ) is the nickname of a Buddha statue found in Karumady near Alappuzha, Kerala, India.[1] The name literally means boy from Karumady. This 3-foot-tall, black granite statue,[2] believed to be from the 9th to 14th centuries, was abandoned for centuries in a nearby stream named Karumady Thodu. Later, in the 1930s, Sir Robert Bristow, a colonial British engineer, found the statue[3] and took appropriate actions to protect it. Currently the statue is under the protection of the Kerala state government. The left side of the statue is missing. The statue is a subject of historical debate, as the reason for its partial destruction is still elusive.
The Dalai Lama visited Karumadi in 1965.[3]
As per the Travancore State Manual, the idol of Karumadikkuttan is of a Jain Theerthankara. The idol is in the Jain idol style.[citation needed]
References
edit- ^ "Karumadi Kuttan". Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ "Site of ancient Buddha statue gets a facelift". The Hindu. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ a b Biju E Paul (3 November 2014). "Renovation of Lord Buddha's Statue at Karumadi Going on". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
