Buddha

Nanayakkara Street, Nagapattinam. Height with pedestal 89cm; without pedastal 80 cm. About 10th Century AD. Acquired as a treasure trove in 1934 AD.

He stands on a circular padmasana (a real padma). The type is similar to Amaravati, Goli and Sarnath Buddhas. A long robe is thrown over the body leaving the right chest and arm bare. Right hand is in abhaya; the left is raised up in an attempt to hold the robe and both are without any palm mark. The fingers are delicate and slender (jalanguli) suggesting smoothness. Face is oval with nose, lips, chin, eyes, forehead and ears strictly proportionate. Ear lobes slightly elongated more to indicate the convention than to subscribe to it and holes not bored. Fore head clean without any urna mark as is the case with earlier images. Hair in six rows of curls surmounted by a small flame-like usnisa whose tiny appearance on the head is more to indicate the idea of gnosis (jnana) than the idea that the images was influenced by the convention.

The padmasana has four holes intended to secure the image to a basic stand while the image is carried in processions. The huge size of the image and the holes suggest that the image was one that was used as an utsava-vigraha by the Buddhists at Nagapattinam. May be taken as the earliest, probably 10th Century AD in point of time.