The fate of two Cham goddess statues at Quang Nam relic sites

In mid-2023, US and UK authorities seized a case of foreign antiquities trafficking, which identified a bronze statue of Goddess Durga originating from Quang Nam province. The statue was returned to Vietnam in August 2023. These are two of many goddess statues, considered masterpieces, found at Cham relics in Quang Nam province. And the fate of these two goddess statues is very different.

The bronze statue of Goddess Dunga (presumed to date from the 7th-8th century) was discovered during an illegal antiques trade in the US and returned to Vietnam in August 2023. Photo from the US Department of the Interior website

In 1978, people in Dong Duong village, Thang Binh, Quang Nam province accidentally found a bronze statue of a goddess nearly 1.15m high. The goddess stands upright, with both hands raised symmetrically forward. The right hand holds a lotus flower, the left hand holds a conch shell. The entire upper body is exposed with full breasts. The lower garment consists of a long skirt that reaches almost to the ankles and a piece of cloth draped over the outside. The square, solemn face, large, curved, intersecting eyebrows, a large nose, thick lips... evoke the Dong Duong style.

National treasure - the statue of Bodhisattva Tara is currently kept at the Da Nang Cham Museum. Photo TH

The goddess's hair is tied up in a high bun with the image of Amitabha Buddha. Based on the stylistic characteristics and symbolic signs of the lotus flower in hand and the image of Amitabha Buddha in the hair, many researchers soon associated this statue with the main deity Laskmindra Lokeshvara mentioned in the stele found in Dong Duong. The name Tara was suggested by researcher Jean Boisselier after 5 years of discovering the work and this name still causes some confusion and discussion among researchers. This work is one of the most important bronze Tara statues in all of Southeast Asia. Because of this unique value, in early October 2012, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan signed on behalf of the Prime Minister to issue a decision on recognizing the statue of Bodhisattva Tara as a national treasure. In mid-2023, US and UK authorities arrested the statue in a case of trafficking in antiquities abroad. Coincidentally, among them was a bronze statue of the goddess Durga originating from Quang Nam, Vietnam. In August 2023, the artifact was returned to Vietnam; in September 2023, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province sent an official dispatch requesting support and creating conditions for Quang Nam province to receive that artifact. And the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism requested the People's Committee of Quang Nam province to provide and clarify information related to the statue. The sandstone statue of Goddess Durga, currently kept at the Da Nang Cham Museum. Photo: Da Nang Cham Museum Based on the guidelines of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on measures to prohibit the trade, import, export and illegal transfer of ownership of cultural property, to have information to clearly identify the location and time of the antiquities stolen, illegally excavated and traded out of the locality in 2008. The People's Committee of Quang Nam province has researched relevant information such as the location of the relic and the position, along with related records and scientific documents of the bronze statue of Goddess Durga. And soon, the artifact will return to its homeland. With the beauty of a masterpiece of sculpture, dating back more than a thousand years, it is hoped that Goddess Durga will become a national treasure like her fellow countryman - the bronze statue of Bodhisattva Tara. The My Son and Dong Duong relic sites were excavated and researched by French researchers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Up to now, through the war, the My Son and Dong Duong relic sites have been quite damaged, but the artifacts displayed here give us a glimpse of the grandeur and magnificence of these temple towers. Source: https://laodong.vn/van-hoa/so-phan-cua-hai-buc-tuong-nu-than-cham-tai-cac-khu-di-tich-quang-nam-1257918.ldo