700-year-old clay mould unearthed in central province

February 28, 2018 - 16:09

A clay mould in the form of a Bodhi leaf has been unearthed among other valuable antiques at an excavation site in the central province of Hà Tĩnh.

A brick with patterns of dragons indicating of Trần dynasty.
Viet Nam News

HÀ NỘI — A clay mould in the form of a Bodhi leaf has been unearthed among other valuable antiques at an excavation site in the central province of Hà Tĩnh.

The mould dates back 700 years.

Nguyễn Trí Sơn, director of Hà Tĩnh Provincial Museum, told Thanh Niên (Young People) newspaper that a group from the museum as well as experts from Hà Nội National University discovered various antiques at the ruins of the ancient Cửu Diện Tower on Nghèn Mountain in Can Lộc District, Hà Tĩnh Province.

Among the most intact objects was a clay mould in the form of a Bodhi leaf. The mould measures 0.3m in height and 0.08m in thickness. The middle of the leaf has images of three towers.

According to Sơn, some historical records found in the area reveal that the Cửu Diện Tower used to have nine storeys, measuring more than 100m. The tower collapsed in the 35th Cảnh Hưng Year (1774).

He said the mould might have been used to make clay bricks to build the tower.

At the 100sq.m foundation of the tower, experts found various clay objects such as bricks, tiles and decorative patterns.

Some of the bricks, measuring 0.05m in thickness and 0.2m in width, had Chinese characters carved on them.

Researcher Đặng Hồng Sơn said the characters recorded the storey that the bricks were placed on. Some bricks also have patterns of dragon heads indicating the Trần Dynasty (1225-1400).

The findings confirm that the Cửu Diện Tower dedicated to Buddha did exist and will be useful to recover the tower in future. — VNS

 

A clay mould in the form of a Bodhi leaf has been unearthed at the ruins of the ancient Cửu Diện Tower on Nghèn Mountain in Hà Tĩnh Province. Photos baomoi.com

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