For the first time, the people of the capital can admire the bronze statue of Goddess Durga
Báo Dân trí•29/08/2024
(Dan Tri) - The four-armed Goddess Durga statue was repatriated to Vietnam in June 2024 after a long journey abroad and is on display at the National Museum of History. This is a typical artifact of Champa culture.
On the morning of August 28, at the National Museum of History (Hanoi), the Ceremony to Announce the Results of Receiving and Repatriating the Bronze Statue of Goddess Durga took place. Attending and announcing the results at the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper, Director of the National Museum of History Nguyen Van Doan and representatives of the United Kingdom in Vietnam, along with collectors, delegates, guests and people of the capital. The bronze statue of Goddess Durga, of Vietnamese origin, was confiscated by the US Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security in coordination with the London Police (UK) from an investigation into illegal antiquities trafficking and returned to Vietnam. After many efforts by the units, on June 18, 2024, the bronze statue of Goddess Durga was safely transported to the storage warehouse of the National Museum of History (Photo: Giang Phong). The four-armed Goddess Durga statue is large in size, 191cm tall in total, of which the body is 157cm tall, weighs 101kg, and dates back to the 7th century and is still relatively intact.
The statue is of Vietnamese origin, belonging to the Champa cultural art style. However, information about the origin and specific location where the statue of Goddess Durga was discovered is still being researched further. For the first time, Vietnamese people have had the opportunity to approach and admire the bronze statue of Goddess Durga, a typical artifact of Champa culture that had wandered to the US and UK before being repatriated to Vietnam. Dr. Nguyen Van Doan, Director of the National Museum of History, said: "This is the largest bronze statue, a typical and unique representative of Champa cultural art discovered to date, a rare antique, of great value to Vietnamese culture and fine arts through historical periods. With its special and rare values, the bronze statue of Goddess Durga is being kept by the Museum in a warehouse that ensures security, safety as well as special conditions, standards, and preservation environment." On the same day, the exhibition "Champa Treasures - Marks of Time" organized by the National Museum of History in collaboration with collector Dao Danh Duc was also held at the Museum.
The exhibition is divided into two parts, introducing "Religious statues and mascots" and "Jewelry and objects bearing religious symbols and royal authority". Many visitors were present to follow and experience the Champa values that have endured over the years. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh (Chuong Duong Do, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi) invited two more friends to visit the National Museum of History. Mr. Binh said that he was very impressed with the statue of goddess Durga outside, and when he went inside, he was also very excited to see the artifacts from Champa that have been preserved until now. Lord Shiva is one of the most important deities of Hinduism. In the Shaiva sect, an orthodox sect of Hinduism, Shiva is considered the supreme deity. The main symbolic attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the serpent Vasuki around his neck, the crescent moon adorning him, the holy river Ganga (Ganges) flowing from his hair, his weapon is the Trishula (trident) and his musical instrument is the Damaru (tambourine). Lord Shiva is often worshiped in the form of Linga. Makara and flower petals are gemstone jewelry designs used in the 17th-18th centuries. Two statues of a God and a Goddess made of gold and studded with precious stones in the 17th-18th century. A golden statue of the sacred bull Nandin is displayed at the exhibition. In India as well as other ancient countries, according to Hinduism outside India, the image of the white bull Nandin often appears with or next to the god Shiva. The most popular sacred image in the Hindu family is the image of Shiva and Parvati with their son Skanda riding on the back of a large white bull. Nandin is considered the "god of wealth", the loyal servant and attendant, the leader of Shiva's large army. Nandin is also the bodyguard of Shiva's linga, the gatekeeper of all the sacred places of Mahadeva (another name for Shiva, meaning "great god"). Kosa is a metal covering, made of gold or silver, used to cover the linga, the incarnation of Shiva. The kosa, combined with some reliefs representing the face or head of Shiva, is designed to cover the upper part of the linga. A pair of gold wristbands decorated with precious stones depicting the god Shiva also appeared in the 17th-18th century. The exhibition runs until the end of October at the National Museum of History, 1 Trang Tien, Hanoi.
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