A 600-Year-Old Submerged Buddha Statue Spotted Emerging From Water

MessageToEagle.com – The 600-year old Buddha statue which has been submerged for years, has appeared during a drop in water levels.

A 600-year old Buddha statue has emerged from under the surface of a water reservoir in China. The recent renovation work in Jiangxi Province at east China has caused water levels to drop so much that some part of the ancient statue is now visible above the waterline.

According to Chinese news agency Xinhua, the statue is 3.8 feet tall and carved into a cliff’s face. Archeologists say that the relic could date back to 14th century in the era of Ming dynasty.

The statue was originally spotted by local villagers last month and has drawn attention of locals as well as visitors ever since. Experts say that the statue is in great state and the water may have prevented it from human-caused disturbance and weather conditions outside.

“A preliminary study of the statue suggests it was probably built during early Ming Dynasty, maybe even earlier as the Yuan Dynasty.” Xu Changqing, director of the Research Institute of Archaeology told CNN.

The statue would have remained obscured forever if hydropower gate renovation project has not lowered the water levels in Hongmen Reservoir by more than 10 meters, exposing the submerged stone relic.

See also:

World’s Largest Complex Of Borobudur – Spectacular Buddhist Masterpiece

Yungang Grottoes: Marvellous Example Of Ancient Buddhist Rock-Cut Architecture

Pandavleni Buddhist Caves: Sculptures, Inscriptions And Sophisticated Water Management System

The discovery could lead to more underwater findings as local record suggests that reservoir was built on the ruins of an ancient town called Xiaoshi, an important center of trade for Chinese Jiangxi and Fujian provinces.

Most of the people in China follow Buddhism, a religion may have arrived in the country 2,000 years ago. So it came as no surprise that China is home to a number of Buddha cliff and cave carvings such as Leshan Giant Buddha – the largest stone Buddha in the world.

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