Buddhist statues from Goryeo Dynasty excavated in Mount Myohyang and Mount Geumgang, North Korea

▲ This photo, provided by Naenara's homepage, shows the Amitabha Buddha excavated from Mount Geumgang in North Korea. The propaganda media, Naenara announced on the 30th that Buddhist Statues including Bhaisaiyaguru and Amitabha Buddha which are worth the nation's treasure has been excavated. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Naenara's homepage, shows the Bhaisaivaguru excavated from Mount Myohyang in North Korea. The propaganda media, Naenara announced on the 30th that Buddhist Statues including Bhaisaiyaguru and Amitabha Buddha which are worth the nation's treasure has been excavated. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- Buddhist statues that are presumed to have been made during the Goryeo Dynasty have been excavated from Mount Myohyang and Mount Geumgang, North Korea.

Naenara, a propaganda media announced on the 30th that the silver-guilt seated Buddhist Statues, including Bhaisajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) has been excavated from Mount Myohyang and gilt-bronze seated statues including Amitabha Buddha has been excavated from Mount Geumgang.

It has been revealed from the Institute of Analysis of the Advanced Technology Development of Kim Il-sung University that Bhaisajyaguru mainly consists of silver, with a gold plating on top. The middle piece of the Buddha statue is 8.9 cm high and weighs 200g. The Sunlight Bodhisattva placed on the left is 7.9cm high with a weight 140g while the Moonlight Bodhisattva, placed on the right is 7.8cm high with a weight of 170g.

The Amitabha Buddha, from Mount Geumgang also mainly consists of bronze with a gold plating.

The height of the Amitabha Buddha, the middle piece, measures to a height of 16cm with a weight of 900g while the statue of Bodhissatva Guyanyin, located on the left has a height of 14cm with a weight of 580g along with the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, on the right, which is 13.4cm tall with a weight of 530g.

At the back of the Amitabha Statue, the word 'Gwangamsa' is written. The Korean Central News Agency conveyed that the Gwangamsa was a temple that located in Haeseon-ri, Kaesong City during the era of King Gongmin, who was the 31st ruler of Goryeo.

Naenara announced that the heritage manager of the History Museum in Mount Myohyang, Mr. Kim SooNam and the Safety leader of Wonsan City discovered the statues and donated to the country.

(This article is translated from Korean to English by Haemin Kim.)

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