Sri Mulavasam, also spelled Sreemoolavasam, was a Buddhist temple and centre of pilgrimage on the south-western coast of India.
[citation needed] According to the inscription in Paliyam copper plates, also known as Sreemoolavasam cheppedukal, date back to AD 929 (or AD 898), issued by Ay king Vikramaditya Varagunan, a huge number of land holdings were donated to the Sreemoolavasam (Thirumoolavadam), a Buddhist institution.
[3] 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.