Thu, Jun 03, 2010 The Vientiane Times/Asia News Network
THE discovery of eleven Buddha statues floating in the Mekong River in Vientiane has local residents intrigued
The discovery was made last week in Thapha village, Hadxaifong district, by Mr View and his son. The pair was fishing on the river near their village and saw a group of Buddha images floating on the surface.
They immediately headed back to the village to call for help from local villagers to recover the find.
Eyewitnesses who went to help said they were amazed to see 11 statues gathered together in the same area of the river. Each image was found to measure 25 centimetres high and weigh about 6 kilograms.
Many wondered how it was possible for heavy Buddha images to float on the river, but it is claimed that they are hollow.
The villagers decided to take the images to Thapha temple before investigating their origins.
Officials from the ministry of information and culture's national heritage department went to the temple to take a look, and found that claims that the images were valuable were merely rumour.
Deputy Director General of the department, Viengkeo Souksavatdy, confirmed the notion that the images were valuable was mere hearsay.
A similar rumour started in 2006 when images were found by villagers in the same district. However, after investigation, the images were found to be made from plastic and not valuable or ancient at all. As news of the latest discovery spreads, many Vientiane residents are flocking to Thapha temple to satisfy their curiosity and see the images for themselves.
The Vientiane Times went to examine the curiosities and found that they appear to have been made recently and are all in the same style.
The images have now been placed inside a glass case for protection. But, eyewitnesses to the discovery said the images are not made from plastic or glass, but some other kind of material.
Thapha villagers believe the images do not originate from Laos because they have an unusual symbol on the back.
"We're unsure of the details of their origins. We only know they are Buddha images so we have brought them to the temple," said one villager.
Most villagers estimate the images are around two years old. Many people have flocked to pay homage to the images in the mistaken belief they are old and valuable.
Local authorities have asked media outlets not to fuel the speculation and called on the public to pause for reflection before believing gossip and rumours.
I remember a story told to me by an archeologist during my visit to Wat Phou in Champassak.
The monks and laymen in the local temple decided that the 300 years old Buddha at their temple was looking dull and worn out so they decided to purchase a Thai style Buddha cast across the border as a replacement. Once the "cheaply" made but glittering statue arrived at the temple, they then decided to throw away the priceless artifact onto the temple ground. The archeologists were horrified to find this statue discarded and proceed to rescue it.
Lao people still have a long way to learn about preserving their cultural heritage.
