Sri Mulavasam

Sri Mulavasam was a famous Buddhist temple and centre of pilgrimage on the south-western coast of India. The exact location of is Sri Mulavasam unknown. Some scholars locate it in northern parts of Kerala state whereas some at somewhere in the region between Ambalappuzha and Thrikkunnappuzha. At its inception, it was a Hinayana seat of learning which gradually turned into a Mahayana center, and later into a Hindu center.

It is mentioned in the famous Paliyam Copper Plates of the Ay ruler Vikramaditya Varaguna and in the Mushika Vamsa of poet Athula.

The discovery of an idol of bodhisattva Halahala Lokeswara by M. Foucher in Gandhara region with Sanskrit inscription "Dakshina Pathe Mulavasa Lokanatha" proves that Sri Mulavasam was a famous Buddhist pilgrim centre in ancient days. Local rulers are said to have protected this famous temple from the encroachment of the Arabian sea by strengthening the shore. The centre perished after 10th century AD by which time the famous Chudamanivarma Vihara came into existence at Nagapattinam.

References

Menon, A Sreedhara A Survey Of Kerala History – Kerala (India) – 1967
A social history of India by S. N. Sadasivan

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