Updated date: 03/01/2025 11:31:02
According to the Law on Cultural Heritage, “National treasures are artifacts handed down, with special and rare values that are typical of the country in terms of history, culture, and science”. Therefore, preserving and promoting the value of national treasures is to contribute to preserving the precious cultural heritage left by our ancestors. Dong Thap province - the land of the Pink Lotus is one of the few provinces in the Mekong Delta region that preserves and conserves these rare national treasures.
Treasures in the Land of Pink Lotus bear the mark of time, culture and belief.
Currently, Dong Thap province is the land preserving 3 artifacts at Dong Thap Provincial Museum recognized by the Prime Minister as national treasures of Hindu nature. They are 2 statues of Vishnu and a goddess Laksmi. The above treasures are heritage, rare cultural assets preserved over time.
Dong Thap Museum staff introduce two national treasures, statues of Vishnu
Vishnu - God of Preservation, is one of the three main gods of Hinduism (Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma). With a benevolent nature, he is the protector of life, the destroyer of evil spirits, so Vishnu was widely worshiped by the ancient people of Funan.
The statue of Vishnu displayed at Dong Thap Museum was recognized as a national treasure by the Prime Minister on December 30, 2013. The statue was discovered in the excavation pit of Go Thap Muoi during the excavation of the architectural relic of Go Thap Muoi on July 15, 1998, dating from the end of the 5th century to the beginning of the 6th century, made of sandstone, weighing 70kg, measuring 22cm long, 40cm wide, and 149cm high.
The statue is a unique artifact. The statue has a unique form, different from other Vishnu statues. This is an exquisite ancient stone sculpture, considered one of the most beautiful Vishnu works remaining today. The figure is slender and refined, with 2 shoulders and 4 arms, each hand holding a symbol of the god: the conch symbolizes the mysterious forces that promote the movement of growth and development of all things; the wheel symbolizes the source of creation and destruction; the lotus is the symbol of the sun; the mace symbolizes the power of knowledge.
The image of Vishnu originated from India, but when adopted by the Oc Eo people, there were many other anthropological creations from India such as: wearing a helmet, a mace and a pillar to support the body more firmly. The statue has gathered special values of history, culture and art related to religion and the typical art style of the Oc Eo culture.
Tourists come to visit and learn about national treasures at Dong Thap Museum
The second Vishnu statue on display at Dong Thap Museum was recognized as a national treasure by the Prime Minister on December 25, 2015. The statue was discovered in the excavation pit of Go Thap Muoi during the excavation of the architectural relic of Go Thap Muoi on July 15, 1998, dating back to the 6th century, made of sandstone, weighing 8.6 kg, measuring 64cm x 24cm.
The statue of Vishnu is considered one of the typical beautiful works that converges all the special values of history, culture and art related to religion and the typical art style of Oc Eo culture and is a unique artifact.
The statue is sculpted in a standing position on a rectangular pedestal, the lower part of the pedestal is carved as a single piece with a triangular cross-section pin. The statue has a well-proportioned figure, with a broad chest, a narrow waist, and a slight forward bend. The head wears a cylindrical hat, the height of the hat is equal to the height of the face, the junction between the base of the hat and the forehead has a raised edge. The face is round, the eyebrows meet, the eyes are wide open and looking straight, clearly showing the pupils and eyelids with sunken carvings, the nose is straight, small, high, thin, the mouth is slightly smiling, the two earlobes are long down to the shoulders. The upper body is bare, the lower body is wrapped in a sampot that is tight to the body and long enough to reach the knees. The statue has 4 arms, but is missing 2 right arms. The upper left hand holds a shankha snail image, the lower left hand is lowered to the waist, the palm is placed on a mace, connected straight down next to the left foot, the palm is placed upside down and grasps the head of the mace. The left mace is completely broken.
Visitors come to see and learn about the national treasure goddess Laksmi kept at Dong Thap Museum
The statue of Goddess Laksmi kept at Dong Thap Museum was recognized as a national treasure by the Prime Minister on December 25, 2015. The statue was discovered by locals while digging for gardening in the Go Ruou area, Binh Phu commune, Tan Hong district (Dong Thap). It dates back to the 7th century, is made of ancient stone, weighs 21kg, and measures 23cm x 92cm.
The statue of goddess Laksmi is a unique artifact representing the sophisticated art of ancient stone sculpture, considered one of the most beautiful works remaining today.
Preserving and promoting the values of national treasures
Each treasure exudes very special cultural and historical values over time. Preserving and promoting the values of national treasures is the responsibility of the local government and people. The protection and preservation of treasures has been and is being planned scientifically, specifically and professionally by Dong Thap Museum.
Mr. Dao Chau Nam - Head of Professional Department, Dong Thap Museum said: “Currently, the Provincial Museum is preserving and displaying more than 30,000 artifacts, including unique, rare and special artifacts, including 3 artifacts recognized as national treasures and the largest collection of Oc Eo - Go Thap Cultural artifacts in Vietnam. Every year, Dong Thap Museum welcomes over 16,000 visitors. The target for 2025 is to welcome over 30,000 visitors. The most visitors are students and foreign visitors.”
Exhibition house of images and memorabilia about Musician Nguyen Vinh Bao
Dong Thap Provincial Museum has continuously researched and collected more unique and rare artifacts, relics, antiques, documents, and images about the history, culture, and people of Dong Thap in their daily life, activities, as well as in the struggle for national liberation and defense of the country. In addition, there is an exhibition hall displaying relics and images of Musician Nguyen Vinh Bao - one of the pioneers in teaching music to foreigners through correspondence. Since the 1960s, he has recorded music on cassette tapes and sent them abroad by post.
Mr. Dao Chau Nam said: “To preserve and promote the cultural value of artifacts, Dong Thap Museum has carried out digital transformation of artifacts posted on the Museum's website to promote images and information of artifacts so that people and tourists can easily access information and come to see these artifacts directly. In addition, the Museum implements the Prime Minister's decision on historical and traditional education at museums and libraries; coordinates with the education sector to let students from schools in the province visit and learn about historical and cultural values, thereby contributing to the implementation of the province's resolution on introducing Dong Thap people "Loving - Kind - Creative".
The national artifacts and treasures collected, inventoried, preserved, researched, and displayed by the museum to introduce the cultural heritage of Dong Thap province have served the needs of research, study, sightseeing, and cultural enjoyment of the public.
These national treasures not only have aesthetic and artistic value, but also bear witness to stories about history, culture and many other aspects of society of many past eras.
NHAT HUY (STO)
Source: https://baodongthap.vn/van-hoa/ve-dat-sen-hong-noi-luu-giu-bao-ton-nhung-bao-vat-quoc-gia-129592.aspx
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