1,000-year-old Buddha statue has a mummy inside
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Saturday, February 21, 2015 07:17 PM EST | Updated: Saturday, February 21, 2015 07:38 PM EST
A 1,000-year-old Buddha statue containing the mummified remains of a Chinese monk is on display in Hungary.
It looks like a bronze statue on the outside, but the skeletal frame of Buddhist master Liuquan can be seen through a CT scan performed in December at the Meander Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Liuquan lived around the year 1100.
The so-called Buddha mummy is the first discovery of its kind, according to NL News in the Netherlands.
It was display at the Drents Museum last year, marking its first appearance outside China. The museum speculates it may be a case of "self-mummification."
When the researchers had the statue scanned, they knew a mummy was hidden inside. What they didn't expect to discover, however, was that its organs have been replaced by scraps of paper printed with ancient Chinese characters.
What's more, scientists were able to take samples for DNA testing.
The Buddha is now on display at the Natural History Museum in Hungary until May 2015.
Buddha going for CT scan. (Courtesy: Natural History Museum in Hungary)
1,000-year-old Buddha statue has a mummy inside | Weird | News | Toronto Sun
QMI AGENCY
First posted: Saturday, February 21, 2015 07:17 PM EST | Updated: Saturday, February 21, 2015 07:38 PM EST
A 1,000-year-old Buddha statue containing the mummified remains of a Chinese monk is on display in Hungary.
It looks like a bronze statue on the outside, but the skeletal frame of Buddhist master Liuquan can be seen through a CT scan performed in December at the Meander Medical Centre in the Netherlands. Liuquan lived around the year 1100.
The so-called Buddha mummy is the first discovery of its kind, according to NL News in the Netherlands.
It was display at the Drents Museum last year, marking its first appearance outside China. The museum speculates it may be a case of "self-mummification."
When the researchers had the statue scanned, they knew a mummy was hidden inside. What they didn't expect to discover, however, was that its organs have been replaced by scraps of paper printed with ancient Chinese characters.
What's more, scientists were able to take samples for DNA testing.
The Buddha is now on display at the Natural History Museum in Hungary until May 2015.
Buddha going for CT scan. (Courtesy: Natural History Museum in Hungary)
1,000-year-old Buddha statue has a mummy inside | Weird | News | Toronto Sun
