The Hindu : International : The Buddhas still smile

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 02, 2005

International

International

The Buddhas still smile

GALLE, JAN. 1. Legs folded, smiling serenely, several Buddha statues of cement and plaster sit unscathed amid collapsed brick walls and other debris here, a southern town devastated by the tsunami. To many residents, the survival of the statues is a divine sign.

"The people are not living according to religious virtues," said a Buddhist monk. "Nature has given them punishment because they are not following the path of the Lord Buddha. The people have to learn their lesson."

He said unseen powers had protected a nearby statue of Buddha, which sat near a bridge at the edge of the bus terminal, where tidal waves swallowed up bystanders and shoppers, and swept cars and buses into buildings. The windowpanes of the glass case surrounding the statue was shattered, but the foundation held firm in the torrent of water that killed thousands in the area, and about 30,000 throughout Sri Lanka.

The island nation is about 70 per cent Buddhist, and there are large concentrations of Christians, Hindus and Muslims as well.

Seated on pedestals, the three-metre-high Buddha statues in Galle have soft, broad features. Their hands lie in their lap in repose. Their eyes are heavy-lidded and their lips are pursed in faintly discernible smiles.

"The Lord Buddha is a blessed person, so the statues were protected," said a Muslim municipal worker.

— AP

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International