130 buddha images discover in a cave in Vientiane
The Vientiane provincial Culture, Information and Tourism Department has moved 130 Buddha images discovered recently in a cave in the province to a local temple where devotees can pay homage to them.
Most of the statues are about 60 centimetres high and are made of silver, gold and clay.
They were discovered last month in Nameuang village, Meuangfeuang district, by a man who went to the cave to hunt for rats.
A department official in charge of investigating the find, Mr Phaivan Syvanalom, said the origin of the statues is unknown.
“So far, we have no clear evidence as to their origins, but their discovery is significant for our national heritage,” he said.
Mr Phaivan thinks the Buddha images may have belonged to people seeking shelter during the war and that they hid these valuables in the cave. He also thinks they might have their origins in the King Fa Ngum era.
One venerable monk, who was able to read palm leaf manuscripts, said some of the letters inscribed on the images provided clues to their origins.
Officials wonder why the people who have lived in the area for over 80 years never came across these images. The man who eventually found them had been married to a local girl for just six days before he glimpsed them hidden in the ground of the small cave.
He first spotted four small statuettes on the ground, and then informed local officials, who found more underneath.
Villagers say the images were once kept in the village but when several people fell ill and died they decided to put them in the cave, which was about 10km away.
Now that they are in the village temple, they are attracting devotees who are coming to pay their respects and make donations.
Guards are taking turns to watch over the statues as they are afraid that people with bad intentions may try to steal them.
Eventually the department wants to move the collection to the provincial cultural hall to put them on public display.
By Phonesavanh Sangsomboun
Vientianetimes
Posted by samakomlao
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ຄືບໍ່ມີຂ່າວພາສາລາວ
ຂ້ອຍໂງ່ອ່ານພາສາອັງກິດບໍ່ອອກ
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Watch out Lao people! Them Thai nationalist Will steal this and claim it as their own!!