Lam Dong announces National Treasure Avalokitesvara statue in Bac Binh

On the morning of September 14, at Lam Dong Provincial Museum (Xuan Huong Ward, Da Lat), Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee held a ceremony to announce the Prime Minister's decision to recognize the Avalokitesvara Bac Binh statue dating from the 8th-9th century as a National Treasure.

The program to announce the National Treasure of the Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh and the opening of the Cultural, Music and Cuisine Space of Ethnic Groups and the exhibition of artifacts, images and introduction of typical books of the province at Lam Dong Museum are among the main activities of "Lam Dong Tourism Destination Experience Month 2025."

The Avalokitesvara Statue of Bac Binh was recognized as a National Treasure by the Prime Minister under Decision No. 1712/QD-TTg dated December 31, 2024. This is a masterpiece of Champa art, reflecting the strong cultural exchange between Cham culture and Indian culture, crafted from dark gray sandstone, 61 cm high, weighing 13 kg, dating from the 8th-9th century.

This artifact was accidentally discovered by local people before 1945 while farming in Bac Binh.

In 1996, the statue was hidden in a local resident's garden. In 2001, the Avalokitesvara statue was handed over to the Binh Thuan Provincial Museum (formerly) for management, preservation and display.

The Avalokitesvara statue in Bac Binh is one of the typical works, representing the transitional period from the 8th - 9th century plastic art style to the peak period of Champa art (9th - 10th century).

With unique historical, artistic and scientific values, the statues are a valuable source of material for studying the history of sculpture and religious art of Champa culture.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Dinh Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee, emphasized that in order to protect and effectively exploit the value of the National Treasure of Avalokitesvara Statue of Bac Binh, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism needs to focus on communication and promotion, introducing the historical, cultural and scientific values of the treasure; at the same time, introducing other unique cultural heritages of the province to raise public awareness and attract tourists, contributing to the development of cultural tourism, promoting the local socio-economy.

After the announcement ceremony, there were also music and art performances; introduction of cuisine and traditional crafts of Lam Dong ethnic groups. Along with that was a space for displaying and exhibiting images of local culture, relics and landscapes; and introduction of typical books in the Lam Dong Provincial Museum.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province, the locality currently owns 7 cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO. Specifically, including the Central Highlands Gong Culture Space, Dak Nong UNESCO Global Geopark, Southern amateur music art, Cham pottery art, Nguyen Dynasty Woodblocks World Documentary Heritage, Lang Biang World Biosphere Reserve and Da Lat participating in the UNESCO Creative City of Music network.

In addition, the province also has 10 national intangible cultural heritages; 3 special national relics; 144 historical - cultural relics and scenic spots ranked by the State. In particular, Lam Dong Provincial Museum currently preserves and displays 112,235 artifacts, antiques, documents of historical, cultural and artistic value, including 3 national treasures: Dak Son lithophone, golden Linga and Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh./.

(TTXVN/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/lam-dong-cong-bo-bao-vat-quoc-gia-tuong-avalokitesvara-bac-binh-post1061730.vnp