Karumadikkuttan (Malayalam: കരുമാടിക്കുട്ടൻ) is the nickname of a Buddha statue found in Karumady near Alappuzha, Kerala, India. The name literally means boy from Karumady. This 3-foot-tall, black granite statue, 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 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.
As per the Travancore State Manual, the idol of Karumadikkuttan is of a Jain Theerthankara. The idol is in the Jain idol style.
References
- "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.
- ^ 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.