The Oc Eo civilisation contributes 10 sets of ancient objects to thelist of the 77 national treasures. Insight by the Government Portal.
Oc Eo has been regarded as part of the historical kingdom of Funanthat flourished in the Mekong delta provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang,Dong Thap and Bac Lieu and Can Tho city, and part of Cambodia betweenthe 1st and the 6th century.
The objects found at the Oc Eoarchaeological sites include pottery, tools, jewelry, casts for makingjewelry, coins and religious statues. Among them are gold jewelryimitating coins from the Roman empire of the Antonine period.
Excavation at Oc Eo began on February 10, 1942 after Frencharchaeologists had discovered the site through the use of aerialphotography.
Archaeological sites reflecting the material cultureof Oc Eo spread throughout southern Vietnam, densely concentrated inthe area of the delta to the south and west of Ho Chi Minh City.
The most significant site, aside from Oc Eo itself, is at Thap Muoi,north of the Tien Giang River, where a stele with a 6th-century Sanskrittext has been discovered.
Among the previous 10 Oc Eo objectsrecognised as the national treasures, there are three Vishnu goddessstatues. Vishnu is the supreme God of Vaishnavism, one of the threemain sects of Hinduism, and described as the all-pervading essence ofall beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future,the creator and destroyer of all existences, one who supports,preserves, sustains and governs the universe and originates and developsall elements within.
The Loi My Buddha statue was found onApril, 27, 1973 in Loi My village, Dong Thap province. The 100-kgstatue, sculptured from a Trai trunk-tree, is considered a typical pieceof Southeast Asia’s sculpture.
The God Surya statue wasfound in the summer in 1928 in Long Xuyen, An Giang province. Thestatue, said to be made around 1,500 years ago, has a height of 90 cmand a width of 38 cm and weighs 80 kg. Surya is the chief solar deityin Hinduism, the chief of the Navagraha, Indian "Classical planets" andimportant elements of the Hindu astrology.
The Binh Hoa Buddha statue and the Sa Dec Buddha statue are currently stored at the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.
Goddess Durga, which means "the inaccessible" or "the invincible", isthe most popular incarnation of Devi and one of the main forms of theGoddess Shakti in the Hindu pantheon. The statue of this goddess isdisplayed also at the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.
Themuseum also houses a statue of Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva whoembodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Portrayed in different culturesas either male or female, Avalokitesvara is one of the more widelyrevered bodhisattvas in the mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, as well asunofficially in Theravada Buddhism.
The collection of goldenartifacts, stored in the Museum of Long An province, manifestsremarkable value as it proves the creativity of Oc Eo people. Goldenlotuses in the collection are a piece of evidence of Buddha’sphilosophy. Eight rectangle-shaped gold sheets are carved with the imageof elephant with the length of 2.9-3.3 cm and the width of 2.6-3 cm.-VNA
Oc Eo has been regarded as part of the historical kingdom of Funanthat flourished in the Mekong delta provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang,Dong Thap and Bac Lieu and Can Tho city, and part of Cambodia betweenthe 1st and the 6th century.
The objects found at the Oc Eoarchaeological sites include pottery, tools, jewelry, casts for makingjewelry, coins and religious statues. Among them are gold jewelryimitating coins from the Roman empire of the Antonine period.
Excavation at Oc Eo began on February 10, 1942 after Frencharchaeologists had discovered the site through the use of aerialphotography.
Archaeological sites reflecting the material cultureof Oc Eo spread throughout southern Vietnam, densely concentrated inthe area of the delta to the south and west of Ho Chi Minh City.
The most significant site, aside from Oc Eo itself, is at Thap Muoi,north of the Tien Giang River, where a stele with a 6th-century Sanskrittext has been discovered.
Among the previous 10 Oc Eo objectsrecognised as the national treasures, there are three Vishnu goddessstatues. Vishnu is the supreme God of Vaishnavism, one of the threemain sects of Hinduism, and described as the all-pervading essence ofall beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future,the creator and destroyer of all existences, one who supports,preserves, sustains and governs the universe and originates and developsall elements within.
The Loi My Buddha statue was found onApril, 27, 1973 in Loi My village, Dong Thap province. The 100-kgstatue, sculptured from a Trai trunk-tree, is considered a typical pieceof Southeast Asia’s sculpture.
The God Surya statue wasfound in the summer in 1928 in Long Xuyen, An Giang province. Thestatue, said to be made around 1,500 years ago, has a height of 90 cmand a width of 38 cm and weighs 80 kg. Surya is the chief solar deityin Hinduism, the chief of the Navagraha, Indian "Classical planets" andimportant elements of the Hindu astrology.
The Binh Hoa Buddha statue and the Sa Dec Buddha statue are currently stored at the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.
Goddess Durga, which means "the inaccessible" or "the invincible", isthe most popular incarnation of Devi and one of the main forms of theGoddess Shakti in the Hindu pantheon. The statue of this goddess isdisplayed also at the History Museum of Ho Chi Minh City.
Themuseum also houses a statue of Avalokitesvara, a bodhisattva whoembodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Portrayed in different culturesas either male or female, Avalokitesvara is one of the more widelyrevered bodhisattvas in the mainstream Mahayana Buddhism, as well asunofficially in Theravada Buddhism.
The collection of goldenartifacts, stored in the Museum of Long An province, manifestsremarkable value as it proves the creativity of Oc Eo people. Goldenlotuses in the collection are a piece of evidence of Buddha’sphilosophy. Eight rectangle-shaped gold sheets are carved with the imageof elephant with the length of 2.9-3.3 cm and the width of 2.6-3 cm.-VNA
