Announcement of the decision to recognize the Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh as a national treasure

Lam Dong provincial leaders and the provincial cultural sector welcomed the Prime Minister's decision to recognize the Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh as a national treasure.

Speaking at the ceremony, Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Dinh Van Tuan said that the Avalokitesvara Bac Binh statue is a masterpiece of Champa art, reflecting the strong cultural exchange between Cham and Indian cultures. With its unique historical, artistic and scientific values, the Avalokitesvara statue is a valuable source of material for studying the history of sculpture and religion of Champa culture.

Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee Dinh Van Tuan spoke at the ceremony.

The Avalokitesvara Statue of Bac Binh was recognized as a National Treasure by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 1712/QD-TTg, dated December 31, 2024.

The statue is made from dark gray fine-grained sandstone, 61cm high, weighs 13kg, and dates back to the 8th-9th century; it is one of the typical works, representing the transitional period from the 8th-9th century plastic art style to the peak period of Cham art in the 9th-10th century.

Ceremony scene.

The Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh was accidentally discovered by local people while farming in Thanh Kiet village, Hong Thai commune, Lam Dong province (Phan Thanh commune, Bac Binh district, former Binh Thuan province) before 1945 along with 4 other stone statues but they were lost.

In 1996, the statue of Avalokitesvara Bac Binh was buried by the people in their garden. In 2001, a resident of Hong Chinh village, Hong Thai commune, Lam Dong province, while digging the foundation to build a gate pillar, discovered it and handed it over to the Provincial Museum for management, preservation and display.

The Avalokitesvara statue of Bac Binh is made from dark gray fine-grained sandstone, 61cm high, weighs 13kg, and dates back to the 8th-9th century.

The Avalokitesvara statue in Bac Binh bears all the characteristics of Champa sculpture, clearly influenced by the stone sculpture art of the Mekong Delta. This is one of the typical artifacts representing the strong cultural exchange and acculturation process of exogenous cultural elements, specifically Indian culture, which has deeply influenced Champa culture, with its own uniqueness. The statue bears Buddhist elements, in addition to Hinduism, which is considered the main religion in Champa culture.

Cham culture experts and scientists participate in the appraisal council to review artifacts and artifact records in 2024.

Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage, Associate Professor, Dr. Le Thi Thu Hien said that Lam Dong province currently has three national treasures recognized by the Prime Minister, namely the Dak Son lithophone, the Po Dam golden linga, and the Bac Binh Avalokitesvara statue. These are important documents on the history, formation and development of the prehistoric Central Highlands, the South Central region, and the historical and cultural appearance of Champa, contributing to clarifying the historical and cultural process of Vietnam.

Exhibition space, introducing the National Treasure Avalokitesvara Statue of Bac Binh.

To protect and effectively exploit the value of national treasures, the Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee requested the provincial cultural sector to develop a plan to strictly protect the treasures; promote communication and promotion through media channels to raise public awareness and attract tourists; organize research and education programs to promote the value of treasures, contributing to the development of cultural tourism and promoting local socio-economy.

Cultural-musical-cuisine space of ethnic groups and exhibition of artifacts and typical images of the province at Lam Dong Museum.

On this occasion, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province opened a space of culture, music and cuisine of ethnic groups and an exhibition of artifacts, images and introduction of typical books of the province at Lam Dong Museum.

This is an event in response to the program "Lam Dong Tourism Destination Experience Month 2025" taking place until October 5.

MAI VAN BAO

Source: https://nhandan.vn/cong-bo-quyet-dinh-cong-nhan-bao-vat-quoc-gia-tuong-avalokitesvara-bac-binh-post907992.html