The first time the national treasure, the complete statue of Bodhisattva Tara, is introduced to the public

The national treasure Tara Bodhisattva statue, complete, is open to the public for the first time since its restoration.

National treasure: Completed Tara Bodhisattva statue introduced to the public - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

On the afternoon of November 19, the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture introduced to the public a special exhibition space "National Treasures - Heritage in the heart of Da Nang". The new space introduces 19 national treasures in Da Nang city after the merger.

Of these, 14 are original national treasures, and 2 are copies for visitors to see directly. The remaining 3 national treasures, due to their association with relics and special preservation requirements, are introduced through documents and photo collections.

Notably, this is the first time the complete Tara Bodhisattva statue has been open to the public since the restoration of the Dharma relic from Quang Nam Museum (2023).

The two magical artifacts, the snail and the lotus, returned to their original state in 2023, but this is the first time they were introduced to the public - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Visitors visit My Son E1 altar dating back to the 7th - 8th century, a national treasure recognized in 2012 - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Dong Son bronze jar dating from the 3rd - 1st century BC from the Hoang Long collection is displayed in this special topic - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

The Siva God Head version, made of gold alloy, dates back to the 10th century. The original is kept at the Da Nang Museum (former Quang Nam Museum). This is a national treasure recognized by the Prime Minister in 2015 - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Dong Son bronze drum/Hoang Long Collection dated to the 3rd - 2nd century BC. This national treasure is kept in a private collection in Hoi An ward, Da Nang city - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Many artifacts, documents and photo collections are introduced to visitors - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

According to Ms. Le Thi Thu Trang, Director of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, this exhibition not only introduces 19 national treasures which are the most typical artifacts of three cultures: Sa Huynh, Dong Son and Cham, but also sketches a picture of the new Da Nang city with an expanded geographical space.

At the same time, it is the land of birth, convergence and exchange of many cultures such as Sa Huynh and Dong Son.

In this exhibition, there are 15 Champa cultural treasures from the collections of the Da Nang Cham Sculpture Museum (12 artifacts), the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board (2 artifacts), and the Da Nang Museum (1 artifact).

In addition, two Dong Son cultural treasures in the Hoang Long collection include a bronze drum and a Dong Son bronze jar dating from the 3rd to 1st century BC.

Two other treasures from the Sa Huynh culture are the Lai Nghi gold jewelry collection and Lai Nghi animal-shaped agate beads, part of the Da Nang Museum's collection, dating from the 3rd century BC to the mid-1st century.

International visitors visit Cham cultural artifacts - Photo: TRUONG TRUNG

Parallel display of original and replica statues

The 1,200-year-old Tara Bodhisattva statue is a national treasure and is one of the first 30 antiques in our country to be recognized as a national treasure.

The statue of Bodhisattva Tara is known in the stele at Dong Duong relic, engraved in 875. However, large-scale excavations in 1902, and many excavations and explorations by the Far Eastern Archaeological Institute still could not find the whereabouts of the statue.

In 1978, the Tara Bodhisattva statue was discovered by chance when some local people were digging the ground to make bricks. Because they suspected that the statue was made of precious metal, the people broke the screw and the lotus flower in its hand. The statue was brought to the Da Nang Cham Sculpture Museum (at that time, Quang Nam - Da Nang province had not yet been separated), while the two artifacts were "lost" among the people.

At the end of 2023, after many procedures, Quang Nam Museum handed over these two important details to Da Nang Cham Sculpture Museum. The statue is specially preserved under conditions of limited public access, normally only displaying a 1:1 scale restored version. This time the public can see both the original statue and the version.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-dau-tien-gioi-thieu-toi-cong-chung-bao-vat-quoc-gia-tuong-bo-tat-tara-hoan-chinh-20251119181503417.htm