By Tim Binnall
A search for mushrooms in a remote part of Thailand turned wondrous for a group of villagers who stumbled upon a mysterious sculpture believed to be a depiction of Buddha's mother. According to a local media report, the remarkable find occurred last week at the Dong Yai Wildlife Sanctuary in the province of Buriram and came to light by way of a social media post from Pramul Kongkratok, who was one of the would-be fungi finders. "Went mushroom hunting and found this," he said of the strange sculpture (more of which can be seen below), "I've lived here for so long, but just learned we have this around here. It's a blessing."
Kongkratok's photos of the newly discovered and seemingly ancient artwork went viral on social media in Thailand, prompting the country's Royal Forest Department to dispatch experts to investigate the curious find. Upon examining the sculpture, which is that of a woman with her arm stretched overhead, archaeologist Chedha Tingsanchali was able to discern some clues as to the nature of the piece. Noting that the "eyebrows, lips, and other features" differed in their depiction from the artwork of the 6th to 11th century period known as Dvaravati, he posited that "the sculptor was someone who saw ancient art like ancient Indian art and imitated it."
That said, the age of the piece largely remains uncertain beyond it not being particularly ancient and how it wound up in the remote jungle is also a mystery. One potential creator for the sculpture, put forward by villagers in the area, is a monk who lived in the general area decades ago. As for who the piece is meant to depict, the prevailing theory at this time is that the woman is Buddha's mother Sirimahamaya. As one might imagine, experts in Thailand are keen to study the newfound artwork further in the hopes of developing definitive answers to the questions surrounding the discovery and ultimately determining what, if any, historical value it might have.