China found a thousand-year-old Buddha statue in gold and silver in a cave

Archaeologists have found that the giant Tathagata Buddha statue in the Longmen Grottoes in Henan may have been plated with gold, silver and encrusted with colored glass.

Giant Tathagata Buddha statue in Longmen cave.

The archeology team made many new discoveries during the project to restore and protect Phung Tien cave in Long Mon cave in December 2021, according to the Long Mon Cave Research Institute. Based on advanced technologies, they discovered traces of gold and silver on the face of the Great Buddha Tathagata, a colossal statue built during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). "This proves that techniques such as plating may have been used in the construction of the Tathagata Buddha," said Shi Jiazhen, director of the institute.

On the surface of the statue's body, the archaeological team also found paint stains in green, red, black and many other colors, revealing the statue may have been "dressed in brilliant" at that time. In addition, they also discovered eyeballs made of colored glass and lead in the Bodhisattva statue to the right of the Great Buddha Tathagata. The eyeball is arc-shaped and about 0.5 cm thick.

"This type of glass has a dark green color after cleaning. This is a very rare material during the Tang Dynasty," said Ma Chaolong, an official at the institute. "The new discovery is of great importance for the study of decorative characteristics, craftsmanship and conservation work of statues in Phung Tien cave," Shi said.