Clearing mines, discovering a warehouse of 51 Buddha statues dating back hundreds of years

Tượng Phật tìm thấy ở Lào - Ảnh Vietianetimes — Buddha statue found in Laos - Photo Vietianetimes

A trove of ancient Buddha statues was recently discovered in Xiengkhuang province, northern Laos.

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Previously, more than 200 statues were accidentally discovered on the banks of the Mekong River in Tonpheung district in Bokeo province.

These discoveries are good news not only for archaeologists, but also for the people of the Buddhist country of Laos.

According to Lao press, while clearing mines left over from the war, a mine clearance team accidentally discovered a warehouse containing 51 small statues in Kherng village, Phoukoud district, Xiengkhuang province.

The found Buddha statues have now been moved to the Kherng village office for safekeeping and are being closely guarded, said Phetsamone Souliyaseng, deputy director of the Xiengkhuang Provincial Department of Information, Culture and Tourism.

There is no exact information about the age and origin of the statues, but authorities believe they could date back several hundred years.

Mr Phetsamone said officials from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism will go to Xiengkhuang province to inspect the Buddha statues.

Most of the Buddha statues found are made of bronze.

According to Lao officials, ancient Buddha statues have been discovered in caves, in forests or buried underground in the country before.

In March 2024, workers repairing a road along the Mekong River in Tonpheung District, Bokeo Province, Northern Laos discovered the head of a Buddha statue along with several other small headless statues.

After expanding the search, authorities have so far found over 200 statues and are continuing to search the area.

Most of the statues found here so far are made of bronze and all are currently located at Thongthip Phatthanaram Pagoda, Yaitonpheung Village, Tonpheung District, Bokeo Province.

Here, the found statues will be catalogued and stored until archaeologists can determine more information about their origins.

Experts believe that the statues found at the site are the remains of temples and stupas that were part of the town of Souvanna Khomkham 400-500 years ago.

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