A Buddha statue dating back to around 1100 AD has been discovered to be more than just an ancient artifact. CT scans have revealed the mummified remains of a Chinese Buddhist monk encased inside!
The statue had a full CT scan while on exhibit at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, which revealed the monk’s remains inside. It’s believed the remains are from a Buddhist master named Liuquan of the Chinese Meditation School. Further examination showed that scraps of paper with ancient Chinese characters were found in place of his vital organs.
Experts believe Liuquan may have mummified himself! It’s not a process unheard of. In ancient Japan there have been records of Buddhist monks who purposely starved themselves to death and transformed into “living mummies”. This practice of self-mummification was known as ‘Sokushinbutsu’.
However, Liuquan is the first monk believed to have been encased inside a statue and is the only statue of its kind ever found. This highly unusual mummy obviously has many more secrets for scientists to solve!
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