17 Gold-Plated Buddha Statues Found at Ancient Sri Lankan Temple

Seventeen gold-plated bronze Buddha statues have been unearthed at the Abhayagiri temple site in Anuradhapura, an ancient Sinhalese capital in north-central Sri Lanka, according to an AFP report cited by Archaeology Magazine. The discovery stands out for the number of statues found together. Thusitha Herath of Sri Lanka’s Central Cultural Fund said artifacts had previously been recovered at the temple, but that this was the first time such a large group of statues had been found there. The statues are estimated to date from between 1,200 and 1,300 years ago. The source does not provide details about their exact location within the temple complex, their condition, or the circumstances in which they were deposited. Abhayagiri was part of the sacred area of ancient Anuradhapura, a city that served as a pilgrimage destination for visitors from China and India. The source also notes that Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana forms of Buddhism were practiced in the area. The find adds a substantial group of religious objects to the archaeological record of a site associated with several Buddhist traditions. However, the available report does not identify the statues’ individual styles, explain why they were gathered together, or state whether further discoveries are expected.