For the first time, the capital's people can admire the bronze statue of Goddess Durga.

(Dan Tri) - The four-armed Goddess Durga statue was repatriated to Vietnam in June 2024 after a long journey abroad and displayed at the National History Museum. This is a typical artifact of Champa culture.

On the morning of August 28, at the National Museum of History (Hanoi), the Ceremony to Announce the Results of Receiving and Repatriating the Bronze Statue of Goddess Durga took place. Attending and announcing the results at the ceremony were Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Dao Cuong, US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper, Director of the National Museum of History Nguyen Van Doan and representatives of the United Kingdom in Vietnam along with collectors, delegates, guests and people of the Capital. The bronze statue of Goddess Durga, of Vietnamese origin, was confiscated by the US Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security in coordination with the London Police (UK) from an investigation into illegal antiquities trafficking and returned to Vietnam. After many efforts of the units, on June 18, 2024, the bronze statue of Goddess Durga was safely transported to the storage warehouse of the National Museum of History (Photo: Giang Phong).

The four-armed Goddess Durga statue is large, 191cm tall in total, with the body of the statue 157cm tall, weighing 101kg, dating from the 7th century and in relatively intact condition.

The statue is of Vietnamese origin, belonging to the Champa cultural art style. However, information about the origin and specific location where the statue of Goddess Durga was discovered is still being further researched.

For the first time, Vietnamese people have had the opportunity to approach and admire the bronze statue of Goddess Durga, a typical artifact of Champa culture that had wandered to the US and UK before being repatriated to Vietnam. Dr. Nguyen Van Doan, Director of the National Museum of History, said: "This is the largest bronze statue, a typical and unique representative of Champa cultural art discovered to date. It is a rare antique, of great value to Vietnamese culture and fine arts throughout history. 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."

On the same day, the exhibition "Champa Treasures - Marks of Time" coordinated by the National History Museum and 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". Many visitors were present to follow and experience the Champa values ​​that have gone through the years. Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh (Chuong Duong Do, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi ) invited two more friends to visit the National Museum of History. Mr. Binh said that he was very impressed with the statue of goddess Durga outside, and when he went inside, he was also very excited to see the artifacts from Champa that have been preserved until now.

Lord Shiva is one of the important deities of Hinduism. In Shaiva, an orthodox sect of Hinduism, Shiva is considered the supreme deity. The main symbolic attributes of Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the serpent Vasuki around his neck, the crescent moon adorning him, the holy river Ganga flowing from his hair, his weapon being the Trishula (trident) and his musical instrument being the Damaru (tambourine). Lord Shiva is often worshipped in the form of Linga.

Makara and petal decorative hats are gemstone jewelry designs used in the 17th-18th centuries.

Two statues of a God and a Goddess made of gold and studded with precious stones in the 17th-18th century.

A golden statue of the sacred bull Nandin is displayed at the exhibition. In India as well as other ancient countries, according to Hinduism outside India, the image of the white bull Nandin often appears with or next to the god Shiva. The most popular sacred image in the Hindu family is the image of Shiva and Parvati with their son Skanda riding on the back of a large white bull. Nandin is considered the "god of wealth", the loyal servant and attendant, the leader of Shiva's large army. Nandin is also the bodyguard of Shiva's linga, the gatekeeper of all the sacred places of Mahadeva (another name of Shiva, meaning "great god").

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

A pair of gold wristbands decorated with precious stones depicting the god Shiva also appeared in the 17th and 18th centuries. The exhibition runs until the end of October at the National Museum of History, 1 Trang Tien, Hanoi.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/lan-dau-nguoi-dan-thu-do-duoc-chiem-nguong-tuong-dong-nu-than-durga-20240828134935014.htm