Who was Bodhidharma? Tamil monk revered in China and Japan, significance of the Daruma doll gifted to PM Modi

PM Modi honoured with Japan’s most famous souvenir

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his two-day official visit to Japan, received a Daruma doll, an emblem of Bodhidharma’s legacy, as a special gesture reaffirming the deep civilisational and spiritual ties between India and Japan.
Bodhidharma was an Indian monk.

Let's take a closer look at the Daruma doll, who Bodhidharma was, and his connection to India.

The Daruma doll is considered an auspicious symbol and a good luck charm in Japanese culture. During his visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Rev Seishi Hirose, the chief priest of the Shorinzan Daruma-ji Temple in Takasaki, located in Japan’s Gunma prefecture.

Takasaki is known as the birthplace of the iconic Daruma dolls, a tradition rooted in the legacy of Bodhidharma.

Who is Bodhidharma? 

Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kanchipuram in Tamil Nadu, is revered in Japan as Daruma Daishi. He is believed to have travelled to Japan around a thousand years ago, leaving a lasting spiritual and cultural legacy.

Historical records show that the Indian monk from Tamil Nadu lived in the fifth or sixth century AD. Traditionally credited as the founder of Zen Buddhism – known as Chan in China and Zen in Japan – he is also linked to the Shaolin temple and the origins of martial arts there.

He is not only a revered figure in Japan but also in China, where he is regarded as the undisputed founder of Zen Buddhism and is credited with introducing Zen to the country during his travels.

He is often identified as Tamil, and some Indian scholars claim he was originally named Bodhivarman, a prince from the Pallava dynasty. While his roots are widely believed to trace back to Kanchipuram or the Chennai region, Chinese historical records remain vague about his exact origin. Nevertheless, he is deeply revered in Tamil literary and folk traditions across parts of South India.

A report by the Indo-Buddhist Heritage (IBH) Forum states that Bodhidharma was believed to be the third son of Pallava king Simhavarman II of the ancient Pallava dynasty of South India.

The Pallava kingdom included regions of present-day Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Telangana. During that era, South India was home to renowned Buddhist scholars like Acharya Nagarjuna and served as a “cradle of Mahayana Buddhism,” according to the report.

What are Daruma dolls?

Believed to bring good fortune and prosperity, Daruma dolls are a common sight in Japanese homes, restaurants, and shop windows.

Modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism, the round dolls are symbols of perseverance and goal-setting. One eye is filled in when a goal is made, the other when it’s achieved. Their weighted bottoms allow them to bounce back when tipped, echoing the phrase, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”

With fierce expressions, the dolls represent inner strength. As tour guide Marco Fasano tells CNN, “Daruma Dolls are a symbol of perseverance... the answers are already inside you.”