Headless Buddha statue discovered in Chongqing residential complex
A 9-meter-high Buddha statue without a head was recently discovered in a residential complex in Chongqing of southwest China.
Surrounded by tall buildings, the statue was covered by vegetation, with a residential structure built on top of it. Most residents were unaware of it until the vegetation was removed due to a reconstruction of the building's external wall.
A huge headless Buddha statue is discovered in a residential complex in Chongqing, southwest China. (Photo by Weibo user "全现在")
The headless statue is in sitting position with two hands on abdomen and a badly damaged left foot.
"The statue was here when I was young," said a 60-year-old resident. "There was a head on it but was later damaged."
The statue was previously covered by vegetation. (Photo from Weibo)
Another resident surnamed Yang who has lived in the complex for many years said there was also a temple near the statue many years ago, but it was demolished when residential buildings were built there in the 1980s.
"I heard the Buddha statue was built nearly a thousand year ago," said Yang.
The local authority of cultural relics has launched an investigation into the statue.
