Tsumani treasures: Not really Buddha

Remember the tsunami treasures that were discovered in Mahabalipuram ? One of the items was a granite lion which was actually seen in 1980. Now it seems the Buddha statue that washed ashore is not really Buddha but Jalagupta, a Hindu diety worshipped in Myanmar.

K Gurumurthy, a member of the Indo-Myanmar Chamber of Commerce, who visited the Meyyurkuppam site upon advice from the Myanmar Embassy, New Delhi, has now confirmed that the idol is of Myanmarese origin but not that of the Buddha. The raft-shrine that houses the idol must indeed have come from Myanmar as the robe, bowl and photograph that accompanied the idol on the high seas all contained Myanmarese letters.

However, contrary to media reports till now, the statue with distinct Mongloid features is not that of Buddha but of Jalagupta, a local Hindu deity much in worship in Myanmarese village as a

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