Pop quiz: what’s on the inside of a tree trunk? Thai workers who probably thought ‘wood’ as well were instead surprised by an ancient Buddha statue inside a chopped-down tree.
A renowned temple in Chonburi, Thailand reportedly hired workers to cut down a mango tree on the temple grounds.
The workers chopped the tree down and were sawing the trunk to pieces when they suddenly found an emerald Buddha statue within.
The abbot then stored the damaged statue, believed to be over 100 years old, inside his room in the temple.
On 24 October, the abbot of a temple in Chonburi hired workmen to cut down a mango tree on the temple grounds, reported Thai site KhaoSod.
The monks reportedly intended to use the wood in preparation for the annual Buddhist Kathina ceremony on 5 Nov this year,
Lumberjacks chopped down the mango tree, which stood at 10 metres tall and 80cm thick. A worker then proceeded to cut the trunk to pieces with a chainsaw.
Source: KhaoSod
In the midst of the fairly routine work, they shockingly discovered a Buddha statue nestled inside the tree.
Source: Khaosod English on Facebook
The Buddha statue shone an emerald green, with a slight smile on its jadeite-crafted face.
Source: Khaosod English on Facebook
The wood from the trunk wrapped around the statue in all directions, indicating that the tree grew around it from when it was young.
The statue appeared remarkably well-preserved inside its natural lockbox. Except, unfortunately, for the chainsaw having cleaved through the statue’s body.
Source: Khaosod English on Facebook
According to Thaiger, the statue is estimated to be over 100 years old, given the size and age of the mango tree that grew around it.
The current third-generation abbot did not know anything about the Buddha statue, including how it ended up inside a tree.
Nevertheless, the monks extracted the artefact from its wooden confines and stored it in the abbot’s room.
It is currently unclear if the temple will perform restoration on it for public worship.
Earlier this year, a 700-year-old Buddhist shrine surfaced from a section of the Mekong River in Thailand.
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Featured image adapted from Khaosod English on Facebook.
The authorities have investigated and closed the incident with no follow-ups required, MFA said.
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