Wisdom, Compassion and Openness
An ancient Buddhist Stupa is found in Putheri, on the outskirts of Nagercoil, in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. This Stupa is, as of now, the southernmost Buddhist Stupa found in India. A statue of a standing Buddha holding an alms bowl can be seen in front of the Stupa.
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There was wide-spread presence of Buddhism in Kerala from the 3rd Century BCE to at least the 12th Century CE. Some world-renowned scholars and yogis in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition like Bhavaviveka, Vajrabodhi, Ayyappa and Paramabuddha were from Kerala. The practices of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara and Bodhisattva Tara originated and spread from Potalaka (Agastyakoodam / Potikai) in the Malaya mountains to the rest of the world. There were also some world-renowned Mahayana Viharas in Kerala, such as Sreemoolavasam.
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An ancient Buddha statue found in Ulagiyanallur and the dilapidated structure of a vihara from the first millennium is clear evidence of the presence of Buddhism in Kallakurichi dist, Tamil Nadu.
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The presence of Buddhism in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu is evident from ancient statues of Buddha found in Thiruvathigai and Pennadam, as well as from the local legends related to the Veerattaneswarar temple.
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Just as in the rest of Tamil Nadu, the presence of Buddhism in Tiruvannamalai district in ancient times is also revealed by ancient Buddha statues and other archeological remains found in Padavedu.
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As can be expected from the names of these places, Salem and Dharmapuri are rich in their Buddhist heritage. We can spot some unique Buddha statues in Salem district. The name Dharmapuri (the City of Dharma) indicates that it was a Buddhist center during the ancient days.
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In Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, many ancient Buddhist remains were rediscovered over the last century. Of those, Peruncheri and Buddhamangalam have a large statue of Buddha each now preserved in small viharas.
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In Mangalam, Musiri Talkuk, Tamil Nadu, there is an ancient Buddha statue that looks like Guru Rinpoche. According to Tibetan scholar Taranatha, Guru Rinpoche has also taught in Kanchi in Tamil Nadu.
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Kalya in Magadi near Bangalore has a few caves where Buddhist, Jain and Shaivite Yogis and Siddhas stayed and meditated in ancient days. According to the inscriptions there the earlier name of the place is Bauddhava-samaha-puri. A few Buddhist statues are still present in the Kallesvara cave.
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There was strong presence of Buddhism in Ariyalur district of Tamil Nadu, as it is evident from the abundance of ancient Buddha statues found there. The etymology of the place also indicates that it was a prominent centre of Buddhist leaning.
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