It’s often the central and southern parts of Kerala that are compared with Sri Lanka, but Kozhikode should also feature in the conversation. Some of the older streets in the heart of the city, especially the lanes leading to the beach, have a very strong resemblance to the Pettah area of Colombo. The hilly terrain in the outskirts of the city also has its identical twins in Colombo’s suburbs. Then comes things like bakeries and even a car dealership in Kozhikode that take the name of the Sri Lankan port.
Beyond these coincidences, there actually is a small and forgotten plot of land, a stone’s throw away from the beach on Customs Road, that has a very strong connection with Sri Lanka. For a city that has a history that goes back many centuries, the Buddha Vihara, which was opened in 1935, is a much more recent, but equally fascinating piece of our heritage.
A couple of weeks ago when I came to know of this vihara, the honorary Sri Lankan in me just had to go and see the place for myself. With none of my Kozhikode friends even hearing of the existence of the centre, Google Maps was our only guide. Using the online navigation tool, we ended up a few metres away from the vihara. We then asked a local street vendor if he knew where the vihara was. After we got a puzzled look in response, we asked if there was a Bodhi tree nearby, and that was the clue that helped us find the compound!
One of the two Bodhi trees is visible from the road and the actual vihara is a small part of a private home that is owned by an ardent devotee of the Buddha. Since we didn’t have a phone number or any other way of contacting him, we had to just turn up, and Mr Pavithra (the devotee) was a bit surprised to see unannounced visitors at his gate on a hot afternoon.
He let us photograph the Bodhi trees whose leaves happily absorbed the late-afternoon sun. Cuttings from the Sacred Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, were brought to Kozhikode and planted there. This was the same manner in which a cutting of the Sri Maha Bodhi tree, under which Buddhists believe the Buddha attained enlightenment, was taken and planted in the Emerald Island by Emperor Ashoka’s daughter Sanghamitta Maha Theri in 236 BCE.
The two trees were planted in the Kozhikode compound by eminent lawyers Mithavadi C Krishnan and Manjeri Rama Ayyar, both of whom were well-known social reformers.
We returned the next morning, as Mr Pavithra had promised to let us enter the vihara and see the Buddha statue, as well as tell us about the history of the place.
It was indeed joyful to enter the small meditation hall and get a glimpse of the beautiful statue of the Buddha in an orange robe, much like what one sees in Sri Lanka. The statue was carved by sculptors from the island.
The vihara was founded by Bhikshu Dharma Skandha Thero, who was a student of Theravada Buddhism in what was then Ceylon. Inside the vihara, there are also framed photos of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Sree Narayana Guru.
In Bhikshu Dharma Skandha Thero’s lifetime the vihara was a hub of activity for intellectuals and those who opposed outdated social practices. The great historian M G S Narayanan wrote in his book 'Calicut: The City of Truth Revisited' that the centre went into decline after the death of its founder in 1975.
Mr Pavithra, who has dedicated his life to understanding the Buddhist doctrines, spoke to us in detail about Kerala’s past and how the areas that make up the modern state were once almost 90 per cent Buddhist. He also spoke of 160 known Malayalam words that have Pali origins, including our word for father - Acha.
From what we were told, there was a Buddha Vihara in the Bank Road as well at one time.
There’s more we could have learned from him, if at least, my Malayalam proficiency was a lot better than it is.
For all that we know of Kerala’s storied past, there are so many gems that are just waiting to be unearthed by those possessing the gift of a curious mind.
(Ajay Kamalakaran is a multilingual writer, primarily based in Mumbai)