Crowds turn out to revere the largest Buddha statue found in Bokeo

The statue was paraded from a pavilion by the Mekong River to Thongthip Phatthanaram temple in Yaitonpheung village, where it will be housed for the foreseeable future.

Preparations for the procession began at 8 am when provincial authorities readied a vehicle to carry the statue, which was hoisted onto the vehicle by a crane at 1 pm.

The live broadcast showed that at 4 pm monks arrived to take part in the procession and at 5 pm the large group of devotees and worshippers walked along the riverbank opposite Done Pheungkham island to Thongthip Phatthanaram temple.

Monks murmured prayers as they walked and people lined up by the roadside to watch the procession and pay homage to the serene-faced Buddha image.

Upon arrival at the temple, monks draped the statue in traditional items of clothing and conducted religious ceremonies, according to the Lao Buddhist Fellowship Association in Bokeo province.

The procession coincided with Visakha Bousa Day (Buddha Day) in the Lao calendar, which marks not only Lord Buddha’s birth but also his enlightenment and death, which all occurred on the 15th day of the 6th waxing moon in the Buddhist calendar.

The statue measures 2.67 metres in height and is 2.24 metres wide. It was discovered last week during excavations on Done Pheungkham island, where several hundred statues and artefacts have been found buried in the sand since excavations began in March.

Meanwhile, a decorative headpiece believed to be a part of the Buddha image was located on Tuesday, measuring 59 cm tall and 20 cm wide, and was placed on top of the statue.

As of May 20, as many as 282 Buddha images had been unearthed at the site, where it is believed the city of Souvannakhomkham was once located several hundred years ago but was subsequently abandoned and buried in sand.

When the excavations come to an end, provincial authorities plan to build a museum close to the temple in which to display the Buddha images for public viewing.​

The Vientiane Times

Asia News Network