Centuries old Buddha images unearthed by Lao farmer

Some 40 carved images of the Buddha thought to date back to the 17th century have been unearthed after a chance discovery by a farmer in agricultural land on the outskirts of the Lao capital, local press reported Tuesday.

The relics were in a jar found by farmer Mr. Boupha Naovalath, 25, while digging a hole to trap crickets in his field in the capital's outer-urban Naxaythong District, said reports from Lao News Agency KPL.

Believed produced during the heyday of the Vientiane-based Lane Xang Kingdom during the reign of King Souliyavongsa, it is thought the 20cm-high images may have been buried for safekeeping during a period of extended conflict with the Kingdom of Siam centered on modern-day Bangkok, Thailand.

Analysis and registration of the artifacts are being led by the country's Heritage Department with archaeologists dispatched to conduct further surveys at the site of the discovery in the village of Houaxang.

A decision has yet to be made on where to store and display the sacred images, with the village temple under consideration pending adoption of appropriate security measures to protect them from damage and the illicit trade in cultural heritage items.

Scholars have estimated that Buddhism was introduced to the South-East Asian Nation from the Indian sub-continent via China's south-western province of Yunnan during the 7th or 8th century of the Christian Era (C.E.). Endi