11:16 27 September 2012 by Colin Barras
A deity from the cosmos (Image: Elmar Buchner)
One religious statue has a stronger connection than
most to the heavens. An 11th-century carving from Mongolia of the
Buddhist god Vaiśravana was fashioned from a meteorite fragment, a
chemical analysis shows. Its extraterrestrial origins make it unique in
both religious art and meteorite science.
The iron-rich statue, 24 centimetres
tall, has had a colourful past. It was apparently brought to Germany in
1939 by a Nazi-backed archaeological expedition to search for the roots
of Aryanism.
A swastika on the armoured Buddha's
breastplate may have been a motivating factor in bringing the statue to
Germany. The swastika is a common symbol in eastern culture and
decorates many Hindu and Buddhist statues – although the version on the
statue is a mirror image of the form favoured by the Nazis.
More - Link >>> http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn22311-buddhist-statue-acquired-by-nazis-is-space-rock.html
Source: New Scientist Magazine.
gaw
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