From Kancheepuram to Takasaki: The India connect of PM Modi’s Daruma gift

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was presented with a Daruma doll on the inaugural day of his visit, a gesture considered auspicious and a good luck charm in Japanese culture. The Daruma also carries an Indian connection. “Takasaki City in Gunma is the birthplace of the famous Daruma dolls. The Daruma tradition in Japan is based on the legacy of Bodhidharma, an Indian monk from Kancheepuram, known in Japan as Daruma Daishi, who is said to have travelled here over a thousand years ago,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

In a post on X, Modi wrote, “It was an honour to meet Rev. Seishi Hirose, chief priest of Shorinzan Daruma-Ji Temple in Takasaki-Gunma. My gratitude to him for presenting a Daruma doll. Daruma is considered to be an important cultural symbol in Japan and also has a connect with India. It is influenced by Bodhidharma, a noted monk.” The PMO added that this “special gesture reaffirms the close civilizational and spiritual ties between India and Japan.”

The Daruma is an iconic Japanese cultural symbol and souvenir modelled after Bodhidharma, the founder of Zen Buddhism. Widely regarded as a sign of perseverance and good luck, the dolls are often used to mark the setting and achieving of goals. Tradition dictates filling in one eye when a goal is set, and the other once it is achieved. Their rounded base makes them pop back up when tipped, echoing the Japanese proverb, “Fall seven times, stand up eight.”


It is believed Bodhidharma meditated for nine years continuously facing a wall with his limbs folded, which explains the Daruma’s distinctive rounded shape, lacking limbs and eyes.

With inputs from TOI