TUNIQUE EVIL PRODUCTS
In the list of recognized national treasures (phase 12) on January 18, 2024, the Brahma Birth relief (symbol BTC 25, old symbol is 17.8) displayed at the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture is currently objects of very high artistic value. Present at the museum, we witnessed groups of visitors often stopping for a long time in front of this treasure to admire the beauty and learn about the content carved on the relief.
Tourists are fascinated by the beauty of the Brahma Birth relief
According to artifact records, the Brahma Birth relief is made of sandstone; 114 cm high, 240 cm long, 30 cm wide, weight about 400 kg. The relief shows the god Vishnu lying down, leaning to the right, his right hand bent to lift his head, his left hand holding a lotus stem growing from his navel. Behind the knee of Lord Vishnu shows the image of a master wearing a round top hat, a profiled face, a long pointed mustache and beard, and two arms spread out towards the god in reverence. In the middle of the bas-relief, from the navel of the god Vishnu grows a blooming lotus flower with a stem, above the lotus is the god Brahma in a meditating sitting position. At both ends of the relief are two symmetrical Garudas in the shape of a human head and a bird body.
Mr. Tran Dinh Ha, Deputy Director of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, said that the Brahma Birth relief is a decorative carving on the arch of the My Son E1 tower, created by French archaeologist Henri Parmentier and his colleagues. Found at My Son E1 tower during excavations in 1903-1904 and brought to the museum in 1935. This is the only work found at My Son that represents the myth of the god Vishnu meditating floating on the sky. cosmic sea and from Vishnu’s navel rose a lotus flower with Brahma located above, beginning the work of creation. “In addition to the above mentioned content, the relief also has very high artistic value and is loved by the public when visiting the museum,” Mr. Ha said.
Mr. Ly Hoa Binh, museum staff, further informed that the museum’s collection also has 2 reliefs with the same theme in the Tra Kieu Room and Quang Ngai Room. However, the representation of Brahma in this work has been lost and the details and sculptural lines are somewhat faded, not as sharp, delicate, and fully symbolic as the work of My Son E1 tower. . “In Cambodia, a large number of reliefs represent this topic, rich in style and material… Particularly in Vietnam, although Champa culture is influenced by Hinduism, artifacts representing this topic are very rare.” , Mr. Binh said and said that the Brahma Birth relief of My Son E1 tower is evidence showing the very early and strong contact between Indian culture and Champa culture.
N‘TRAVEL’ WORTH MILLIONS OF USD
Researcher Tran Ky Phuong, former keeper of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, commented that the Brahma’s Birth relief at the Museum of Cham Sculpture is an artifact of typical value in Champa culture and art. Works with artistic language and themes similar to the Prei Kmeng style in Cambodia show the early introduction of Hinduism into the Champa kingdom in general and Champa culture in particular in the 7th-8th centuries.
The relief is beautiful and delicate in every line
Regarding the theme, the treasure represents a classic in Indian culture, known in Sanskrit as Visnu Anantasayin. Experts also commented that the Brahma Birth relief is beautifully carved, balanced, and harmonious, showing the god Vishnu lying in meditation, floating on the cosmic sea, and from the navel of the god Vishnu rising a lotus flower with him. Brahma meditating on it is a unique form, rarely seen in Cham sculpture.
Because it was found in the same location as other artifacts such as the My Son E1 altar, the door pillar, the standing Ganesha statue of the E5 tower… this Brahma’s Birthday relief belongs to the My Son E1 style, dated to the 7th century. In addition, the similarity in sculpture theme and comparison of some details of the Brahma Birth relief with sculptures of Dvaravati art of Thailand and pre-Angkor of Cambodia also allow researchers. This work is dated to the 7th century.
The relief is beautiful and delicate in every line
In the process of learning about the “background” of the treasure, we were told by many museum staff about the “export” journey of this relief. It was in 2005 that this treasure arrived at the Guimet National Museum of Asian Art in Paris (France) to be introduced to the public. Then, in 2014, one of the world’s leading museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA), opened the exhibition “Buddhist – Hindu sculpture art of lost countries in Southeast Asia”. ” borrowed the relief for display.
The journey for this treasure to cross halfway around the world and appear at the exhibition lasting 3 months (April – July 2014) was also very thrilling. To be able to borrow the antique, the museum researched and carried out the documents and procedures within 3 years with many stages of negotiation, signing, ensuring safety… So that the Brahma Birth relief has When being able to leave the museum, relevant parties have carried out a series of security checks, such as scanning photos, taking notes, examining descriptions… Notably, the American museum has invited an independent unit to mark the museum. Security on artifacts. This is a step to ensure that the artifacts are not swapped. During his “abroad” trips, Brahma’s birth was always packaged by professional shipping units and insured for millions of dollars. (to be continued)
