Transferring 2 details of the national treasure Tara Bodhisattva Statue to Da Nang

On September 6, the Office of the People's Committee of Quang Nam province announced that Mr. Le Tri Thanh - Chairman of the People's Committee of the province - agreed to transfer two separate parts of the national treasure, the Bodhisattva Tara statue, which is being kept in this province to Da Nang, at the request of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam.

Statue of Bodhisattva Tara on display at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture (Photo: Cong Binh).

Previously, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province reported to the Provincial People's Committee about the consolidation of the national treasure, the Tara Bodhisattva Statue, from the Quang Nam Museum to the Da Nang Cham Sculpture Museum, according to the opinion of the Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism).

The Tara Bodhisattva Statue is a unique original artifact dating back to the 9th century. According to archaeological excavation results, around the end of the 9th century, in Dong Duong (Thang Binh district, Quang Nam), there existed a large Buddhist temple.

The foundation relics show that this was the largest Buddhist monastery of the Champa Kingdom. The stele found in Dong Duong shows that the Champa king Indravarman II built a Buddhist monastery and a temple here to worship Bodhisattva Laksmindra Lokesvara in 875. This artifact is a bronze statue of Bodhisattva, representing the worship of Bodhisattva at Dong Duong Buddhist monastery.

Technically and artistically, the artifact is completely cast, with no trace of a mold, using a special technique (researchers have yet to determine the technique). One hypothesis is that this is a now-lost wax casting technique, then processed using a carving technique.

In particular, the artifact has recessed sections for gems and precious metals on the forehead, eyebrows, and two eyeballs. The decorative details and shape are considered by researchers to be typical characteristics of the Dong Duong style.

Two details of a snail (right) and a lotus flower (left) preserved by Quang Nam Museum (Photo: Anh Trung).

The Tara Bodhisattva statue was recognized as a national treasure by the Prime Minister in 2012.

The treasure is kept and displayed at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture without the two snail and lotus details on the statue's hand. These two details have been preserved by the Quang Nam Museum since 2019.

In order for the Tara Bodhisattva Statue to be completed and to best promote its historical, cultural and scientific values, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Quang Nam province has proposed that the province agree on the policy of transferring the two details of the snail and lotus flower to Da Nang.

Quang Nam Province has sent a document to the People's Committee of Da Nang City to unify and direct the Cham Sculpture Museum to coordinate with the Quang Nam Museum to receive and transfer the above two details to reunite the national treasure, the Tara Bodhisattva statue.

Source link: https://dantri.com.vn/van-hoa/chuyen-giao-2-chi-tiet-cua-bao-vat-quoc-gia-tuong-bo-tat-tara-ve-da-nang-20230906161251341.htm