A large number of artifacts from the mid-Joseon Dynasty have been found inside a bodhisattva statue at Songgwang Temple in South Jeolla Province.

The Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea said Monday that some 450 artifacts, including Buddhist scriptures and clothing, were found inside a wooden statue of Avalokitesvara while it was being prepared for gold leaf gilding.

Among the artifacts was a collection of commentaries published by the eleventh-century royal teacher the Venerable Uicheon on the Garland Sutra (Buddha-avatamsaka-mahāvaipulya-sūtra). Some of the books from the collection have never been discovered and are expected to serve as valuable material for research on Buddhism and the printing culture of the Joseon Dynasty.

The cultural heritage agency said the elaborate clothes that were found with the scriptures are also highly valuable as they have been well preserved.