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| The Buddha’s mother, Queen Maya Gotami, in Buddhism (jendhamuni.com) |
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| This bas relief found in Thai jungle may be Queen Maya holding sal tree branch |
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| Thai: Buri Ram mushroom hunter makes enigmatic discovery (nationthailand.com) |
Mysterious sculpture found in Thai jungle
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| The Buddha's biological mother Queen Maya |
According to a local media report, the remarkable find occurred last week at the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in the province of Buriram, Thailand. It came to light by way of a social media post from Pramul Kongkratok, who was one of the mushroom hunters.
- Buddhism in Thailand (ancient Siam)
- The Buddha's birthday in Thailand
- Queen Maya (mother of the Buddha)
- The face looks like Cambodian (Khmer) art
- This location is next to Cambodia
- Like the frescoes of Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
- Mother's Day 2024 is at hand
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| The future Buddha had a rare birth, entering his mother's side and emerging standing up. |
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| Close up of carving, possibly recent |
"Went mushroom hunting and found this," he said of the strange sculpture (more of which can be seen here)/
"I've lived here for so long, but just learned we have this around here. It's a blessing."
Kongkratok's photos of the newly discovered and seemingly ancient artwork went viral on social media in Thailand (on the verge of the biggest holiday in Theravada Buddhism known as Vesak ("Buddhist X-mas") -- a day commemorating:
- the birth of Prince Siddhartha,
Khmer art of Angkor area - his great awakening, when he became "the Buddha,"
- and his passing into final nirvana
- (all of which occurred on the same auspicious full moon day in the ancient Indian month of Vaiśākha).
- [The art of the Khmer (present-day Cambodian) people is very similar to the art of the jungles of the Americas, as are their stone temples and exquisite bas relief art all over the walls of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, and new archeological sites constantly being discovered in the dense jungles of the massive former Buddhist-Hindu empire.]
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| Prince Siddhartha was raised by his adoptive aunt Queen Pajapati Gotami, after Queen Maya passed. |
This prompted the country's Royal Forest Department to dispatch experts to investigate the priceless archeological artifact.
Upon examining the sculpture, which is that of a woman with her arm stretched overhead [just as his mother, depicted as a salabhanjika, is seen in countless pieces of art in Indian as she gives birth to the future-Buddha, while standing, holding on to the branch of a sal tree].
Archeologist Chedha Tingsanchali was able to discern some clues as to the nature of the piece. Noting that the "eyebrows, lips, and other features" differed in their depiction from the artwork of the 6th to 11th century period known as Dvaravati, he posited that "the sculptor was someone who saw ancient art like ancient Indian art and imitated it.
That said, the age of the piece largely remains uncertain beyond it not being particularly ancient and how it wound up in the remote jungle is also a mystery.
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| Frescoes at Sigiriya (Lion's Rock), Sri Lanka |
As for who the piece is meant to depict, the prevailing theory at this time is that the woman is Buddha's mother Sri Maha Maya.
As one might imagine, experts in Thailand are keen to study the newfound artwork further in the hopes of developing definitive answers to the questions surrounding the discovery and ultimately determining what, if any, historical value it might have. More
Original story
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| The topless ladies ofSigiriya are also a mystery |
Maya statue found in the Americas, in the jungles
of Honduras, a marvel of Central America.
- Tim Binnall, Coast to Coast, Mysterious Sculpture Found in Thai Jungle, May 22, 2024; Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
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