A version of Tara/Avalokiteshvara statue. A replica statue was presented to the museum of Quảng Nam by Đà Nẵng City's People's Committee. Photos courtesy of the Museum of Chăm Sculpture of Đà Nẵng

Two missing fragments – a lotus flower and a snail – of the statue of Tara/Avalokiteshvara have been reunited with the original, completing the collection at the Museum of Chăm Sculpture of Đà Nẵng after a separation of 45 years since the statue was excavated in Quảng Nam Province.

The handover of the missing parts of the statue, which has been recognised as a national treasure and is displayed at the museum, highlighted the productive co-operation between the culture authorities of Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng over the past years.

“The reuniting of the two missing parts of the statue will help preserve the national treasure at full value. It also promotes the effective cooperation between the two culture departments of the two provinces,” said Hà Vỹ, deputy director of Đà Nẵng City’s Department of Culture and Sports.

Vỹ said the statue was found by people in Đồng Dương Village in Quảng Nam’s Thăng Bình District in 1978, and it was then preserved by the Museum of Chăm Sculpture of Đà Nẵng.

He said these two parts of the statue were broken during the excavation 45 years ago, and had been kept by people at Đồng Dương Village.

The photo shows a snail (left) and a lotus flower They are two missing fragments of the statue of Tara/Avalokiteshvara which are now returned to the original statue at Đà Nẵng City's Chăm Sculpture Museum.

According to archaeologists, the 1.1m high statue is copper cast, and it is believed to be from 1,200 years ago.

The two missing objects from the two hands of the statue were handed over to the museum of Quảng Nam by the local community in 2019.

The two objects are typical symbols of purity, love and reproduction of all beings, according to experts from the museum.

The Đà Nẵng City’s People’s Committee presented a full replica of the statue to the Quảng Nam provincial Museum for public display.

The Tara/Avalokiteshvara statue was recognised as a National Treasure in 2012 by the Prime Minister’s decision.

Researchers and experts from the museum said the two missing objects will be returned to their original places and the complete statue will be on public display.

A handover ceremony of the two missing fragments of the Tara/Avalokiteshvara statue is organised by Quảng Nam and Đà Nẵng culture authorities.

The Chăm Sculpture Museum features the history of Chăm towers, artefacts and 20th-century French architecture, along with the development of Đà Nẵng City.

The museum, one of the most visited sites by international and domestic tourists in Đà Nẵng displays six national treasures: the Trà Kiệu Pedestal, the Mỹ Sơn E1 Pedestal, the statue of Tara/Avalokiteshvara, the Đồng Dương Pedestal, and two sandstone statues – Ganesha (one of the most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon) and Gajasimha (a hybrid animal in Hindu mythology). – VNS