See the Bronze Statue of Goddess Durga with your own eyes

NDO - The four-armed goddess Durga statue is the largest bronze statue, a typical and unique representative of Champa cultural art discovered to date. After being "repatriated", the statue will continue to complete its legal documents, be preserved and studied.

After many years of "wandering" abroad, at the end of August 2024, the bronze statue of goddess Durga - a typical artifact of Champa culture was brought back to Vietnam.

Previously, in August 2023, the US Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the London Police, UK, confiscated a statue of Vietnamese origin from an investigation into illegal antiquities trafficking.

On September 13, 2023, representatives of the US Department of Homeland Security and the London City Police coordinated with relevant agencies to hand over the bronze statue of Goddess Durga to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK.

After much effort, on June 18, the bronze statue of the Goddess Durga with four arms was safely transported to the National History Museum’s storage facility. At the end of August, the ceremony to announce the results of the statue’s reception and repatriation was officially held.

According to the assessment of the Appraisal Council, the four-armed Goddess Durga Statue is probably a large block (total height 191cm, of which the statue is 157cm high, weighs 101kg), dating 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 Goddess Durga statue was discovered needs further research.

This is also 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.

Close-up of the soulful face of the bronze statue of the four-armed goddess Durga. Durga is a special goddess, a form of goddess Parvati - the wife of the supreme god Shiva and the sister or elder sister of god Vishnu.

According to historical studies, Champa was an ancient country that existed from 192 to 1832 in the central region of present-day Vietnam. Champa culture was influenced by Indian and Javanese culture, along with its own creations, creating artistic peaks such as My Son, Dong Duong, and Thap Mam styles...

The goddess is often depicted as a beautiful, strong woman with many arms, each holding a different weapon. In Oc Eo culture, statues of the goddess are found quite a lot throughout the Southern Delta.

The bronze statue of goddess Durga wears a long, flowing dress and is bare-chested. Many special motifs associated with Champa culture can be seen on the reliefs carved on the statue's body.

The base is exquisitely cast and very soulful...

Goddess Durga is a deity that has a deep mark in the spiritual life of Hindu believers in general, and the ancient Champa community in particular, and is worshiped as a symbol of supernatural, holy power, the goddess who destroys and conquers evil.

Behind the statue there is a pedestal to help the statue stand upright.

It can be seen that the statue is preserved quite intact.

After being announced, many tourists came to admire the valuable treasure at the National History Museum.

Also during this time, 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".

In the picture are two statues of a male and female god made of gold and precious stones. It can be seen that the level of ancient Champa craftsmen was extremely high.

Lord Shiva is one of the important gods of Hinduism. The main symbolic attributes of Lord 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 Trishula (trident) and his musical instrument is Damaru (tambourine).

Statues of Shiva and Ganesha.

The Buddha statue (middle) and two statues of Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Quan The Am) are cast in gold, dating from the 17th-18th century.

Kosa is a metal covering, made of gold or silver, used to cover the linga idol, the incarnation of Shiva. Kosa is combined with some reliefs representing the face or head of Shiva.

The exhibition is expected to last until the end of October at the National Museum of History, 1 Trang Tien, Hanoi.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/anh-chiem-nguong-tuong-dong-nu-than-durga-va-nhung-bau-vat-champa-post827605.html