CHENNAI: In a significant verdict, the Madras High Court has ordered the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology to take control of a temple in Salem where a Buddha idol is being worshipped as Thalaivetty Muniappan, a Hindu deity. Justice N Anand Venkatesh recently passed the orders on a petition that sought to hand back the temple to the Buddha Trust which had been managing the temple long ago.
A joint committee of experts from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) department and the archaeology department held an inspection and concluded that the idol is of Buddha, going by its features. After inspecting the sculpture and carefully examining the available archaeological and historical evidence at its disposal, the committee collectively expressed the opinion that the sculpture depicts several mahalakshanas (great traits) of Buddha.
Based on the report, the judge ordered, “Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, there shall be a direction to the 6th respondent (archaeology department) to take control of the property, in which the sculpture has been placed, and maintain it.”
He directed the archaeology department to erect a board inside the temple explaining that the sculpture was Buddha. The general public can be permitted to visit it but no poojas or other ceremonies are allowed. The petitioner, P Ranganathan (deceased), had claimed that Buddha was worshipped in the temple a long time ago but over a period of time, the idol was converted into Thalaivetty Muniappan and the temple into a Hindu temple.
Inspection by experts
Expert team concluded that the idol depicts several mahalakshanas (great traits) of Buddha