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[[File:BodhidharmaYoshitoshi1887.jpg|thumb|250 px|[[Bodhidharma]], founder of [[Chan Buddhism]], is believed to have originated from [[Kanchipuram]], [[Tamil Nadu]].]]<br />
<br />
'''Tamil Buddhism''' is Buddhism amongst the [[Tamils]] which was historically found in the [[Tamilakam]] and [[Sri Lanka]].<br />
<br />
==India==<br />
<br />
===Origin===<br />
<br />
The heritage of the town of [[Nagapattinam|Nākappaṭṭinam]] is found in the Burmese historical text of the 3rd century BCE and gives evidence of a Budha Vihar built by the [[Ashoka|King Ashoka]]. An inscription from [[Anuradhapura]], Sri Lanka dated to 2nd century BC records the association of Tamil merchants with Buddhist institution.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Duraiswamy|first=Dayalan|title=Role of Archaeology on Maritime Buddhism|url=https://www.academia.edu/19992743|language=en}}</ref><br />
<br />
For several centuries in the second millennium of the common era Buddhism among the Tamils in Tamil Nadu and Eelam was neglected and virtually abandoned due to shifts in political patronage and the revivalism among non-Buddhist religions. According to A.J.V. Chandrakanthan who recently (2019) published an article about an 11th-century comparative work named VEERASOLIYAM, codifying Tamil and Sanskrit Philology and Poetics is a clear indicator of the prominence given to Buddhism in Tamil scholarship. However the pan Saiva revival in Tamilagam in the second half of the second millennium and the Vaishnava resurgence coupled with the [[Bhakti movement]] ushered in a new era of religious militancy that virtually eradicated Buddhism forever from the Tamil-speaking regions of the South of India. <br />
<br />
Various scholarly works dating back to the 5th, 6th and 7th century of the common era saw the birth of classical Tamil works composed by eminent Tamil poets with Buddhist philosophical themes and insights illustrate the impact that Buddhism had in the world of Tamil scholarship. One of the classical products of that period is the ancient Tamil Buddhist epic-poem [[Manimekalai]] by the celebrated poet [[Chithalai Chathanar]] is set in the town of Kaveripattanam.<ref>Rao Bahadur Krishnaswāmi Aiyangar, ''Maṇimekhalai in its Historical Setting'', London, 1928. Available at www.archive.org [https://archive.org/details/manimekhalaiinit031176mbp]</ref><ref>Hisselle Dhammaratana,''Buddhism in South India'', Buddhist Publication Society, Kandy, 1964. Available on Buddhist Publication Society Online Library [http://www.bps.lk/olib/wh/wh124-u.html]</ref><br />
<br />
Ancient ruins of a 4th-5th-century Buddhist monastery, a Buddha statue, and a Buddhapada (footprint of the Buddha) were found in another section of the ancient city, now at [[Pallavanesvaram]].<ref>''Marine archaeological explorations of Tranquebar-Poompuhar region on Tamil Nadu coast.'', Rao, S.R.. ''Journal of Marine Archaeology'', Vol. II, July 1991, pp. 6. Available online at [http://drs.nio.org/drs/bitstream/2264/3295/2/Mar_Archaeol_2_5.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110124225917/http://drs.nio.org/drs/bitstream/2264/3295/2/Mar_Archaeol_2_5.pdf |date=24 January 2011 }}</ref><br />
<br />
Nāgappaṭṭinam was a Buddhist centre of the 4th-5th century CE. Its [[stupa]] dates from this era. Buddhism disappeared from this city as of an unknown date but was revived as of the 9th century. (H.P.Ray, The Winds of Change, Delhi 1994, p.&nbsp;142) In the 11th century, [[Chudamani Vihara]] was built by the Javanese king Sri Vijaya Soolamanivarman with the patronage of [[Raja Raja Chola I]].<ref name="history">{{cite web |url=http://www.nio.org/past_events/archaeology/sridhar.pdf |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2006-10-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208135309/http://www.nio.org/past_events/archaeology/sridhar.pdf |archivedate=8 February 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref> The "Animangalam Copperplate" of Kulothungachola notes that “Kasiba Thera” [Buddhist Monk] renovated the Buddhist temple in the 6th century with the help of Buddhist monks of "[[Naga Nadu]]". This "nagar annam vihar" later came to be known as "Nagananavigar". Buddhism flourished until the 15th century and the buildings of the vigara survived until the 18th century.<br />
[[Kanchipuram]] is one of the oldest cities in [[South India]], and was a city of learning for [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Sanskrit]], and [[Pali]] and was believed to be visited by [[Xuanzang]]. He visited the city in the 7th century and said that this city was 6 miles in circumference and that its people were famous for bravery and piety as well as for their love of justice and veneration for learning. He further recorded that [[Gautama Buddha]] had visited the place. It was during the reign of the [[Pallava dynasty]] from the 4th to the 9th centuries that [[Kanchipuram]] attained its limelight. The city served as the Pallava capital, and many of the known temples were built during their reign. According to Tamil tradition, the founder of [[Zen]], [[Bodhidharma]] was born here,{{sfn|Kambe|year unknown}}{{sfn|Zvelebil|1987|p=125-126}}{{refn|group=note|Little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is extant, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend.{{sfn|McRae|2003}} There are three principal sources for Bodhidharma's biography.{{sfn|Dumoulin|2005|p=85-90}}None of them mentions specifically Tamil Nadu, only "the western regions" and "Souther India". See [[Bodhidharma#Birthplace sources]] for an extensive overview of possible origins, and the reliability of the sources provided for these possible origins.}}. Great Buddhist scholars such as [[Dignāga]], [[Buddhaghosa]], [[Bodhisena]] [[Buddadithya]] [[Dhammapala]]<br />
[[Buddadatar]] [[vajrabodhi]] lived here too.<br />
<br />
==Sri Lanka==<br />
<br />
===Jaffna peninsula===<br />
[[File:Jaffna Naga Vihara.JPG|thumb|left|Jaffna Naga Vihara]]<br />
[[File:Kandarodai Ancient Buddhist Vihara.jpg|thumb|200 px|9th Century Buddhist Stupas<ref name="Peter Schalk pp. 1">Schalk, Peter (2002). ''Buddhism among Tamils in pre-colonial Tamilakam and Īlam: Prologue. The Pre-Pallava and the Pallava period'', Uppsala: Upplala Universitet; pp. 1</ref> of [[Kadurugoda Vihara]] in [[Kandarodai]], [[Jaffna Peninsula]].]]<br />
[[File:Nainathivunakaviharai 2.jpg|thumb|200 px|The Ancient [[Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.buddhanet.net/sacred-island/nagadipa.html|title = BuddhaNet.Net: Sacred Island - A Buddhist Pilgrim's Guide to Sri Lanka: Nagadipa}}</ref> near the [[Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple|Nagapooshani Amman Kovil]], [[Nainativu]]]]<br />
Nāga Tivu/ Nāga Natu was the name of the whole [[Jaffna Peninsula]] in some historical documents. There are number of Buddhist myths associated with the interactions of people of this historical place with [[Buddha]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Malalasekera|first=G.P.|title=Dictionary of Pali Proper Names: Pali-English|year=2003|publisher=Asian Educational Services |isbn=81-206-1823-8 |page=42}}</ref> This [[Nagadeepa Purana Viharaya]] was located close to the ancient [[Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple]] of [[Nainativu]], one of the [[Shakti Peetha]]s.<ref name="saf">Laura Smid (2003). South Asian folklore: an encyclopedia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka. Great Britain: Routledge. 429.</ref><ref>Chelvadurai Manogaran (1987). Ethnic conflict and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. United States of America: University of Hawaii Press. 21.</ref> The word Naga was sometimes written in early inscriptions as Nāya, as in Nāganika - this occurs in the Nanaghat inscription of 150 BCE.<br />
<br />
The famous [[Vallipuram]] Buddha statue built with Dravidian sculptural traditions from [[Amaravathi village, Guntur district]] (Amaravati school) was found in excavations below the Hindu Temple. The language of the inscription is [[Tamil language]]-Prakrit, which shares several similarities with script inscriptions used in Andhra at the time, when the Telugu [[Satavahana dynasty]] was at the height of its power and its 17th monarch [[Hāla]] (20-24 CE) married a princess from the island.<ref>Ponnampalam Ragupathy. (1987). ''Early settlements in Jaffna: an archaeological survey''. pp. 183</ref><ref>Schalk, Peter (2002). ''Buddhism among Tamils in pre-colonial Tamilakam and Īlam: Prologue. The Pre-Pallava and the Pallava period''. pp.151</ref> Peter Schalk writes, "Vallipuram has very rich archaeological remains that point at an early settlement. It was probably an emporium in the first centuries AD. […] From already dated stones with which we compare this Vallipuram statue, we can conclude that it falls in the period 3-4 century AD. During that period, the typical Amaravati-Buddha sculpture was developed."<ref>{{cite web | url = http://tamilnation.co/heritage/vallipuram_buddha_image.htm | title = The Vallipuram Buddha Image | accessdate = 2013-01-10 | last = Schalk | first = Peter | work = Tamilnation.org | quote = Vallipuram has very rich archaeological remains that point at an early settlement. It was probably an emporium in the first centuries AD. […] From already dated stones with which we compare this Vallipuram statue, we can conclude that it falls in the period 3-4 century AD. During that period, the typical Amaravati-Buddha sculpture was developed.}}</ref> The Buddha statue found here was given to [[King of Thailand]] by the then British Governor Henry Blake in 1906.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}}<br />
<br />
Indrapala argued for a flourishing pre-Christian Buddhist civilization in Jaffna, in agreement with Paranavithana, and Mudliyar C. Rasanayakam, ''Ancient Jaffna'' [http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items05/071205-5.html in an earlier work, 1965].<br />
<br />
This place is similar to [[Nagapatnam]] where all Asian vessels used it as a stopover point and the Buddhist and Hindu Dagobas are just a resting and worshipping places for the sailors and international traders.{{citation needed|date=April 2013}} .<br />
<br />
A group of [[Dagobas]] situated close together at the [[Kadurugoda Vihara]] site in [[Kandarodai]] served as a monastery for Tamil monks{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} and reflect the rise in popularity of [[Mahayana Buddhism]] amongst Jaffna Tamils and the Tamils of the [[ancient Tamil country]] in the first few centuries of the common era before the revivalism of [[Hinduism]] amongst the population.<ref name="Peter Schalk pp. 1"/><br />
<br />
===Trincomalee===<br />
[[Thiriyai]] is referred to as ''Thalakori'' in the 2nd century CE map of Ptolemy. Pre-Christian-Buddhist [[Tamil-Brahmi]]{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} inscriptions have been found in the area, the oldest belonging to the 2nd century BCE. Thiriyai formed a prominent village of Jaffna's [[Vannimai]] districts in the medieval period. The site is home to Mahayana Buddhist vatadage ruins worshipped by the locals during the rise of Tamil Buddhism{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} in the area. During [[Paramesvaravarman I]]'s reign, the famous Tiriyai [[Grantha script|Pallava Grantha]] inscriptions of 7th-8th century [[Tamilakam]] were recorded in the village.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} The inscription refers to Tamil merchant mariners from [[Tamil Nadu]],{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} their seafaring and commerce to Trincomalee.<ref>Meera Abraham (1988). Two medieval merchant guilds of south India. Manohar Publications. pp. 136</ref>{{Better source needed|date=January 2018}} It details their endowment of this shrine dedicated to the Buddhist deity Avalokitesvara and his consort Tara.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}} [[Dvarapala]] sculptures found at the ruins are early contributions of the [[Pallava]] school of art to the island.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}<br />
<br />
The [[Chola Dynasty]] patronized several religions amongst Tamils, including Saivism, Vaishnavism, and Buddhism. They built Buddhist temples known as "Perrumpallis".{{citation needed|date=April 2017}} In the eleventh century the [[Velgam Vehera]] of [[Periyakulam]] was renovated and renamed by the Cholas as Rajarajaperumpalli after they conquered the [[Anuradhapura]] and established their rule in [[Polonnaruwa]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Velgamvehera|url=http://www.archaeology.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=99:velgamvehera&catid=51:sites&Itemid=99&lang=en|accessdate=17 April 2017|publisher=[[Department of Archaeology (Sri Lanka)|Department of Archaeology]]}}</ref> Tamil inscriptions excavated from this site point to the attention the Cholas paid to the development of [[Trincomalee District]] as a strong Saiva Tamil principality and for their contributions to the upkeep of several shrines including the monumental Shiva [[Koneswaram temple]] of Trincomalee.<ref>Peter Schalk, Ālvāppillai Vēluppillai. Buddhism among Tamils in pre-colonial Tamilakam and Īlam: Prologue. The Pre-Pallava and the Pallava period, Page 157-159.</ref><br />
<br />
==See also==<br />
* [[Buddhaghosa]]<br />
* [[Dhammapāla]]<br />
* [[Manimekalai]]<br />
* [[Kundalakesi]]<br />
* [[Sri Lanka Maha Bodhi Centre, Chennai]]<br />
<br />
==Notes==<br />
{{reflist|group=note}}<br />
<br />
== References ==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
<br />
==Sources==<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
* {{Citation | last =Kambe | first =Tstuomu | title =Bodhidharma. A collection of stories from Chinese literature | url =http://www.purple.dti.ne.jp/kambe/BodhiDharma-IDS.pdf | access-date =1 April 2013 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20151106054424/http://www.purple.dti.ne.jp/kambe/BodhiDharma-IDS.pdf | archive-date =6 November 2015 | url-status =dead }}<br />
* {{Citation | last=McRae | first=John R. | publication-date=2000 | contribution=The Antecedents of Encounter Dialogue in Chinese Ch'an Buddhism | contribution-url=http://kr.buddhism.org/zen/koan/John_McRae.htm | editor-last=Heine | editor-first=Steven | editor2-last=Wright | editor2-first=Dale S. | title=The Kōan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism | publisher=Oxford University Press }}<br />
* {{Citation | last=Zvelebil | first=Kamil V. | title=The Sound of the One Hand | journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society | volume=107 | issue=1 | year=1987 | pages=125–126 | doi =10.2307/602960 | publisher=Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 107, No. 1 | jstor=602960 }}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/vallipuram.html THE VALLIPURAM BUDDHA IMAGE]<br />
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