A surprising discovery left a local villager in awe living in east China's Jiangxi Province after seeing the head of the Buddha last month as it emerged due to the fall in water level in the reservoir which is greater than 10 meters.
The statue of the Buddha which is believed to be 600 years old was discovered submerged in the water of the reservoir. The water level was reduced to 10 meters due to the hydropower gate renovation revealing the head of the ancient Buddha.
The head of the giant statue lies against a cliff and stare placidly over the water. It entices many tourists including the locals believing it as a fortunate sign. Archaeologists stated that the statue might have dated back to Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
"A preliminary study of the statue suggests it was probably built during early Ming Dynasty, maybe even earlier as the Yuan Dynasty," Xu Changqing, director of the Research Institute of Archaeology of Jiangxi province, told CNN in a phone interview.
The huge effigy could be just the point of an unexploited treasure collection. Under the water is where the base of the temple lies. Local records convey that the reservoir was situated on the relics of a primeval town named Xiaoshi.
According to Yahoo News, the archeological team concluded its underwater mission under the State Administration of Cultural Heritage and Jiangxi Provincial Research Institute of Archaeology. The statue of the 600-year-old Buddha was located under the Hongmen Reservoir in China's Nancheng County in Fuzhou City.
The statue stands about 12.5 feet (3.8 meters) tall and was carved into a cliff. The statue was underwater in 1960 when the Hongmen reservoir was constructed. Xu said that if the statue was not submerged in the water it could have been worn out by oxidation, weathering or other risks. He also added that being submerged in the water; the detailed carvings have been preserved.
