# Buddha with snails

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [July 7, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881 "2007-07-07T18:22:58Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![bbaker63](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a587f6/32.png) [@bbaker63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbaker63)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2007, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881/1 "2007-07-07T18:22:58Z")

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Sometimes you see Buddha with snails on his head that look like curls. I believe these are because there is a legend where the Buddha was lost in the desert and all these snails came to him and covered his head to shield him from the sun. I think this is correct, but I could be wrong.

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**Author:** ![Zabali\_Clawbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/ecd19e/32.png) [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2007, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881/2 "2007-07-07T18:26:21Z")

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Here is a link to the [column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/070706.html) the OP is commenting on.

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [July 7, 2007, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buddha-with-snails/410881/3 "2007-07-07T23:28:14Z")

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My gut feeling is that the snail story was a mistaken interpretation of curly-haired portraits.