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Floating Buddha gives life, hope to Meyyurkuppam village

The pot-bellied idol, which was swept onto Meyyurkuppam coast in Tamil Nadu from Myanmar by tsunami waves

     Meyyurkuppam (Tamil Nadu): Indian villagers are worshipping and building a temple for an idol of Lord Buddha, that was carried for over 1,000 km from Myanmar to their cost here, saying it is the deity who saved the hamlet, which miraculously escaped major damages despite its neighbours, barely a few kilometres away, being completely devastated. The bronze idol was found on the coast fully intact, a week after the tragedy, in a raft-shrine and its antecedents were verified from a silk robe with Burmese inscription on it and a few currency coins from Myanmar, all of which lay untouched at the unique temple.

     The entire Meyyurkuppam village, 80 kilometres away from Chennai, has since taken it as a good omen, believing that their good luck was bestowed by the Lord who himself chose to come to their door steps. Each family in the village unfailingly visits the temple everyday offering flowers and ater. The massive scale of the disaster, the cries and trauma of their friends and relatives from nearby villages, they say, has only fortified their faith. "We keep a glass of water and a flower in front of the deity everyday. We will worship him like we worship our own gods. The idol will stay here, our village has accepted it as it own," said Kuppurswamy, the village head. The locals plan to build a concrete temple with the help of Myanmar officials, who say it is a common practice of the Burmese Buddhists to float the idols into a river or sea after holding a short worship ceremony, generally in the rainy season.

     "There was some Burmese coins and book also, that came afloat with the Idol and the raft. The police have taken them. We also met some outsiders who came and examined the idol, they told us it is from Myanmar," said Ravi, a village resident.
- Feb 26, 2005

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