Gia Lai proposes to recognize two more national treasures

(GLO)- Pleiku Museum (Gia Lai province) is preparing a dossier to request recognition as national treasures for two groups of precious artifacts including a set of gongs and a group of gold artifacts discovered at the Cham relic site of An Phu. This activity aims to continue to preserve and promote the unique cultural heritage values ​​of the locality.

The two groups of selected artifacts both have outstanding historical, cultural and scientific values. Among them, the set of eight gongs, a traditional gong of the Jrai people, was collected by Pleiku Museum in 1997 from the family of Mrs. Rcom Hblon in Buon Broai, Ia Tul commune, Ayun Pa district (now Ia Tul commune, Gia Lai province).

According to Mrs. Hblon, this set of gongs was once worth the equivalent of dozens of cows, and has been preserved and passed down through many generations by her family. Her family was one of the richest and most prestigious households in the ancient Cheo Reo region, and was able to own this precious set of gongs.

The gong set is on display at Pleiku Museum. Photo: Anh Minh

The gong set includes 1 large gong (sa gong), 2 knobbed gongs and 5 flat gongs. The Ko Do gong is used in joyful festivals such as housewarming, weddings, health praying ceremonies, etc., not used in grave-leaving rituals or funerals. This is a typical artifact of the Central Highlands gong cultural space - a representative intangible heritage of humanity.

The remaining group is a gold artifact including a vase placed on an 8-petal lotus and gold leaves, some of which are engraved with ancient characters... discovered at the sacred pot during the excavation of the Cham An Phu relic (residential group 11, An Phu ward, Gia Lai province).

Some gold artifacts found at the sacred warehouse of Cham relics in An Phu were introduced at the conference reporting the results of archaeological excavations (May 2024). Photo: Hoang Ngoc

The site is located about 10 km east of Pleiku city center, and was recorded and described by French scholars in the early 20th century. During excavations conducted by the Pleiku Museum in collaboration with the Southern Institute of Social Sciences, archaeologists discovered a sacred pit with a swastika-shaped structure - a sign that this was once an ancient Buddhist temple. Inside the sacred pit, there were many offerings, in addition to the gold artifacts mentioned above, there were also many precious stones and small, colorful glass.

The dossier for national treasure recognition includes an explanatory note, a biography of each artifact, detailed documentary photos, technical drawings, reference materials and 3D digital data. The appraisal council and experts in the fields of archaeology and museology will participate in the assessment and consensus before submitting the dossier to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The construction of the dossier for the national treasure recognition this time not only affirms the unique historical and cultural values ​​of Gia Lai, but also contributes to raising public awareness in preserving and honoring cultural heritage. This is also an important step to enrich the province's heritage treasure, while also adding valuable resources for research, display and education of the young generation in the coming time.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/gia-lai-de-xuat-cong-nhan-them-2-bao-vat-quoc-gia-post570836.html