Thiyaganur Buddha temple | |
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Religion | |
Affiliation | Buddhism |
Location | |
Location | Salem district, Tamil Nadu |
Country | India |
Geographic coordinates | 11°34′33″N 78°46′42″E / 11.57583°N 78.77833°E |
The Perambalur Buddhas (or Thiyaganur Buddha statues or Thiyaganur Buddha temple) are a set of historic Buddhist images found in Thiyaganur, a village in salem district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. There are two 6 ft (1.8 m) images of Buddha in sitting posture, one of which is enshrined in a small temple and various other images scattered in the village. The temple is the only extant Buddhist temple in the state. One of the images in a private farm was later housed in a meditation hall built during 2013 with the help of public contributions. Historians identify the images to the 11th century. With the presence of the images, Thyaganur is counted among Madurai, Kanchipuram, Nagapattinam, Uraiyur, Kaveripattinam and Perambalur among famous Buddhist centres in Tamil Nadu. The villagers administer the temple and practise worship similar to Hindu worship practises. The images are spread across three villages, namely, Paravai, Okalur and Perumathur with a majority found in Paravai.