NAHANT — Some would probably wonder what a 900-year-old Buddha statue is doing on display at the Nahant Historical Society, but it turns out it has ended up at its rightful home.
“We have served as the caretakers of the Buddha at its permanent home here,” Nahant Historical Society Director Julie Tarmy said.
The 1,100-pound Jizo Bosatsu Buddha, which is portrayed as a monk with a bald head, was on special display to the public at the historical society Saturday after being restored and placed in the building last November. But the story of the Buddha begins about 100 years ago.
In the late 19th or early 20th century, the Buddha, whose original artist is unknown, served as a symbolic guardian and protector of the children at the estate of George Abbot James located at the Lowland area of Nahant, now known as East Point.
It was at this location the statue got the name of the Lowland Buddha. However, before WWII James gave up his estate to house soldiers at a coastal defense point. It was then the statue swapped resting point close by at the Cas-El-Ot house on Swallow Point Road.
And there the Buddha sat for more than 60 years, being covered in vines and plants, slowly aging. It wasn’t until last year that the owners decided that this statue should be restored and put into the historical society’s building.
“It was an undertaking to restore him and get him here,” Tarmy said.
When the Buddha was finally taken in for restoration by Robert Shure at Skylight Studios in Woburn, it was in rough shape. The statue was covered in blue paint, which needed to be removed, and after removing the vines surrounding it was discovered that it was missing its head.
A new head was formed out of resin and reshaped to match that of the original artifact. Today the statue is returned to its original beauty at the historical society’s home.
For several decades the Lowland Buddha had to brave harsh New England coastal weather, something that Tarmy and the Nahant Historical Society will not let happen again.
“The Lowland Buddha will be indoors permanently, here, for now on,” she said.
