Treasures of Cham culture

Among hundreds of relics and antiquities discovered in Binh Thuan by different dynasties in the history of the Champa kingdom that have created unique cultural, artistic and sculptural values, the Avalokitesvara Buddha statue discovered in Hoa Thang commune 22 years ago is considered by researchers as a treasure of Cham culture.

From the accidental discovery of ancient statues

In early September 2001, I received a phone call from Border Guard Station 436 informing me that a resident of Hong Chinh village, Hoa Thang commune, Bac Binh district had discovered a Buddha statue with a strange shape and had handed it over to Border Guard Station 436.

When we arrived at Border Guard Station 436 to receive the stone statue, many people came, including Mr. Mai Van Chien, who told us: This stone statue was found by his father while working in the fields before the August Revolution in 1945. When we brought it home, seeing the statue from its shape to its face, and having 4 arms, everyone was scared.

Because of his knowledge of folk medicine and healing, and some people advised him to use the statue to practice as a shaman to cure and save people. A few years later, his father was killed by a French plane. Seeing that people needed healing, especially the statue when making charms, his uncle Bay Tho continued to use the statue to practice as a shaman. After Bay Tho died, partly because he was afraid that no one would continue to practice as a shaman, the family secretly buried the statue deep in the ground.

It was thought that the statue would rest in peace forever. Unexpectedly, the historic flood in 1996 in Hoa Thang commune, many heavy rains continuously made the statue appear. Many people saw this and spread rumors, fabricating ghost stories, so everyone in the village was very scared. They thought that the stone statue was very heavy and was secretly buried deep, so how could it float up? Instead, the head floated up first, the face covered in mud with resentful eyes. Many people thought that he wanted to be in a proper temple and could not lie deep underground like that forever. Everyone prayed and secretly went to bury it again.

A few years later, by chance, Mr. Ngo Hieu Hoc from Hoa Phu commune bought land to build a house in Hong Chinh village, Hoa Thang commune, the area where people secretly buried the statue a few years ago. Then, by chance, while digging a hole to build a gate and fence, Mr. Hoc discovered a stone statue at a depth of 40cm. Many people in the village knew about this and Mr. Hoc himself also understood the law on cultural heritage. Therefore, Mr. Hoc handed over the statue to the People's Committee of Hoa Thang commune, and the People's Committee transferred it to Border Guard Station 436 under the Border Guard Command of Binh Thuan province.

The truth about the statue

Research on religion and beliefs of the Champa kingdom in history shows that Buddhism was introduced very early, around the first centuries AD to around the 10th century. Among the architectural heritages left behind is the Dong Duong Buddhist Institute in Thang Binh district, Quang Nam province, which was the most important Buddhist architectural center of the Champa kingdom and the largest in Southeast Asia in the 9th century.

During this same period, the Panduranga region in the south of the Champa kingdom (Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan) today also followed Buddhism. Many Buddha statues were found, such as: the “Usnisa” Buddha statue in Phan Thiet in the 7th-9th century; the floating Buddha statue in Kim Binh pagoda, Ham Thang commune; a collection of bronze Buddha statues discovered in Ham Nhon commune in 1973 in the 9th-10th century.

The statue in Hong Chinh village, Hoa Thang commune, rediscovered in 2001, is the statue of Avalokitesvara - the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the embodiment of the compassion of all Buddhas. Avalokitesvara is one of the most widely revered Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism during this period. The statue dates back to the 9th century, and is the only original artifact to date.

When we received the statue, we saw that the body of the statue was painted in many colors of blue, white, and light yellow. We asked and found out that the first person who found it had painted it like that to use it as a shaman. However, further research revealed that the paint marks were much older by several centuries, similar to the color and technique of painting the statues of kings and Kut in the temples of Cham kings many centuries ago.

The statue of Avalokitesvara stands on a pedestal with an arch behind. From a slab of sandstone, each line and skillful carving technique on the stone reaches the pinnacle of plastic art with the symmetry of the body's morphology. The head of the statue has a high bun, on the head is a multi-layered pyramid hat, the front is embossed with a clear sitting Buddha statue, that is the ancient Amitabha Buddha sitting in meditation, as the song says about this Buddha: " In the West there is Amitabha Buddha. Sitting in the precious hat of Bodhisattva Guanyin ". The gentle face is very suitable for the slender, graceful body and bare chest. The statue has 4 arms: the upper right hand holds a rosary, the upper left hand holds a book. The two lower hands are extended forward, the left hand holds a bottle of nectar, the left hand is missing (if still there, it is usually holding a lotus bud), 2 large ears that reach the neck. The ancient artisans have meticulously carved many detailed decorative elements to describe the mysterious energy of Buddha.

Compared to other ancient statues in Cham culture from Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, this statue has a very unique appearance as an original and unique copy. It is known that the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is currently coordinating with researchers to build a scientific dossier, because this is an unprecedented masterpiece and is a candidate for the upcoming review for the Government to recognize Binh Thuan's first national treasure.

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