The ancient treasure hidden in the 700-year-old Buddha's belly

The Manjushri Bodhisattva statue in a Japanese temple holds many ancient artifacts inside the head and body.

The treasure of artifacts including many scrolls and artifacts is found in the oldest Buddha image in Hokkeji temple in Nara city, Japan. The 76 cm tall sitting Buddha image contains about 180 artifacts.

Bodhisattva Manjushri statue in Nara National Museum.(Photo: NHK).

Authorities have not said that the artefacts remain in place since they were placed in the 700-year-old statue. They used computerized tomography to probe the statue. About 30 artifacts are located at the head of the statue and the remaining 150 objects are crammed into the statue.

"In terms of inner artifacts, the statue is really special. The discovery has great historical and cultural significance," said Shigeki Iwata, special research director at Nara National Museum.

The statue depicts Manjushri Bodhisattva , one of the four great Bodhisattvas representing wisdom. He is associated with the image of a hand holding a Buddhist sutra, a hand holding a sword and riding on a lion. Manjushri Bodhisattva appears in many arts in Japan, Tibet, Nepal, Indonesia and many other Asian countries.

Bodhisattva Manjushri will be displayed at Nara National Museum until the end of May 27. Authorities have not revealed whether they intend to collect artifacts inside the statue.