Rare statue of Amitabha Buddha found in Sullurpet

Tirupati: After a 14-feet Gautama Buddha statue of 11-12 centuries has been excavated some time ago, now the Archeology department focused on an in-depth study on the monuments available at Konathuru in Koridi panchayat of Sullurpet mandal. The tiny village is 30 km away from Sullurpet and professors from Hyderabad Central University visited the place and explained to the villagers that the place is a treasure of ancient monuments and asked them to support further excavation.

Earlier, the Archaeology department found these bricks made during 800 A.D and the statue was said to have been carved around 11-12 centuries. HCU Prof KV Rao said the model was of a celestial Amitabha Buddha category, a part of Mahayana.

Archeologists say the head of a makara appears on the handle of ritual implements such as the dorje and the tigu, although it is often explained in other ways in the practice of yogic or tantric Buddhism. The statue is having similarities of Prabhavali and Makara of Buddhism and the visitors from HCU suggested more probe on the site.