Tamil Nadu plans to build bridges with China via Bodhidharma

CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government plans to build a massive statue of Bodhidharma at Kancheepuram and promote a Buddhist pilgrimage circuit in the state to attract tourists from China, in the wake of the publicity generated by the Modi-Xi informal summit at Mamallapuram on October 11-12.

Bodhidharma is widely believed to be a Pallava prince born in Kancheepuram who journeyed to China to spread the teachings of the Buddha, during which time he also taught Shaolin monks the martial arts they are now famous for.

Tamil Nadu tourism department sources said the statue planned would be second only to the Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat in size. There would also be an audio-visual presentation at the site on the life of the Buddhist monk who is popular in China and most of Southeast Asia.

Six places across the state, including Kancheepuram, Mamallapuram, Nagapattinam and Tiruvarur, had been identified for the Buddhist circuit. These places are historically associated with Buddhism, a senior tourism department official told TOI. The state would approach the Union tourism ministry for funds to develop these centres.

At least 10 tour guides at Mamallapuram would also be trained in basic Mandarin to interact with Chinese tourists, officials said.

After the Modi-Xi meet, tour operators in Chennai have been getting queries from Chinese travellers about Mamallapuram, a Unesco world heritage site that has rock sculptures from the Pallava era. V K T Balan, president, Tamil Nadu Tour Travel and Hospitality Association, said statues of Bodhidharma are worshipped in China, Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand. “But we do not have any statues for the great saint in our state.”

Tamil Nadu’s connections with Buddhism date back about 2,000 years, according to archaeologists. Secretary of Madurai-based Pandya Nadu Centre for Historical Research and archaeologist C Santhalingam said Buddhism thrived in the state in the second century AD. “Emperor Rajaraja Chola had donated a village in Nagapattinam district for constructing a Buddha vihara named ‘Soodamani’ in the 10th century. About 100 bronze idols of Buddha have been unearthed in Nagapattinam region,” he added.