Chudamani Vihara was a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

vihara (monastery) in

Nagapattinam Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Chudamani Vihara was constructed in 1006 CE by the

Srivijaya Srivijaya ( id, Sriwijaya) was a Buddhist thalassocratic empire based on the island of Sumatra (in modern-day Indonesia), which influenced much of Southeast Asia. Srivijaya was an important centre for the expansion of Buddhism from the 7th ...

n king Sri Vijaya

Maravijayattungavarman Sri Maravijayottunggavarman was a king of Srivijaya Kingdom of Shailendra dynasty, who reigned between 1008-c.1025 CE. He was the son of King Sri Chudamanivarmadeva. He was called ''Se-li-ma-la-pi'' in the Chinese chronicle. Biography Maravija ...

with the patronage of

Rajaraja Chola I Rajaraja I (947 CE – 1014 CE), born Arunmozhi Varman or Arulmozhi Varman and often described as Raja Raja the Great or Raja Raja Chozhan was a Chola emperor who reigned from 985 CE to 1014 CE. He was the most powerful Tamil king in South ...

. The vihara building survived in dilapidated condition. Since 1856, about 350 Buddha bronzes have been found at Nagapattinam, dating from the 11th to the 16th century.

History

The heritage of Nagapattinam is mentioned in the Burmese historical text of 3rd century B.C. which mentions a Buddha vihara built by the emperor

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

. The Chinese traveler

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

also mentioned the vihara. Nagappattinam is mentioned as Padarithitha in the ancient Buddhist literature. The Anaimangalam copperplate of

Kulothunga Chola I Kulottunga I (;1025 CE - 1122 CE) also spelt Kulothunga (), was a Chola Emperor who reigned from 1070 CE to 1122 CE succeeding his cousin Athirajendra Chola. He also served as the Eastern Chalukya king from 1061 CE to 1118 CE, succeeding his f ...

mentions that Kasiba Thera (Buddhist Monk) renovated the shrine in 6th century AD with the help of monks of "Naganadu" (Nagapattinam). The Pallava King Rajasimha (690–728) permitted a Chinese king to build Buddha vihara in Nagappattinam. According to the copperplate record of

Chola The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...

king Rajaraja, the Sailendra king, Sri Mara-vijayottunga-varman constructed the vihara with the support of Rajaraja. It is written in Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki that the copperplate was moved to Leiden Museum (Holland). One statue, now at John D. Rockefeller Collection of Asian Art in New York, has an inscription that mentions that this Buddha was created to be carried in a procession during the temple’s sacred festival. The inscription has been translated by Vidya Dehejia as: :''Well-being ndprosperity. The nayakar uddha of all of the eighteen countries, of the metalworkers. The procession image, for the sacred festival of the

alvar An alvar is a biological environment based on a limestone plain with thin or no soil and, as a result, sparse grassland vegetation. Often flooded in the spring, and affected by drought in midsummer, alvars support a distinctive group of prair ...

temple, which was caused to be taken in procession by the respected one (utaiyar) endowed of the four gunas from Cirutavur; nthe perum-palli (great place of worship or great vihara) of the metalworkers, nthe perum-palli of Rajendra Chola.''Asia Society: The Collection In Context

Notes

* The Chudamani Vihara was demolished by a tsunami a while after the visit of The Chinese traveler

References

External links

Buddha 14th century
Formerly in the collection of Mrs. W. van Hoogstraten-Fetlaer, Netherlands.
Bodhi's Tamil Afterglow
Outlook India, 7 July 2004

at the Chennai Museum
Buddha Shakyamuni
Norton Simon Museum
Buddha Shakyamuni
Art Institute of Chicago
procession Buddha
John D. Rockefeller Collection of Asian Art in New York
Buddha, 12th century
Art Institute of Chicago

Hindustan Times 23 March 2006 {{Nagapattinam district Defunct Buddhist monasteries Buddhist monasteries in India History of Tamil Nadu Buddhism amongst Tamils