Emerald Buddha statue found in mango tree trunk in Chonburi temple
A Buddha statue was unexpectedly found inside a mango tree when it was being cut down during landscaping at the Nongsang Pracha Bamroong temple in the Phanat Nikhom district of Chonburi province, in Thailand’s eastern region.
It is believed that the statue dates back to the era of the first abbot of the temple who lived there approximately a hundred years ago.
The discovery of the statue happened when the current abbot of the temple tasked monks with improving the temple's landscaping in preparation for a major event on November 5. To achieve this, they brought in a tree cutter to trim the trees. While cutting down a large mango tree, whose trunk measured approximately 80 centimetres in diameter and stood 10 metres in height, the cutter stumbled on a small emerald Buddha statue. The statue has been carefully extracted and kept in the abbot's room.
News reporters who visited the temple noted the diverse range of tree species within the temple grounds. They were guided to the spot where the mango tree had been cut, now merely a stump.
The monk explained that a tree cutter had been brought in from outside, as he needed to remove the wood from the premises. During the process of cutting the tree and splitting its trunk, the hidden Buddha statue was discovered. The statue, green in colour and portraying a smiling figure, appeared to have suffered damage from the use of a saw during the cutting.
Initial inspection suggested that the statue was quite old, possibly over 100 years, and likely from the era of the first temple abbot.
The current abbot is the third in the temple's history. The mystery of how the statue ended up inside the tree trunk remains unsolved.
As of now, the Buddha statue is housed in the abbot's bedroom. It is not known whether it will be restored for public worship.
