Golden Buddha Hid Beneath Plaster

Thailand's Golden Buddha weighs 5.5 metric tons and remained hidden beneath stucco and colored glass for almost 200 years. The disguise likely protected it from theft before Burmese invaders destroyed the Ayutthaya kingdom in 1767. During a move at Bangkok's Wat Traimit in 1955, the lifting ropes broke, dropping the statue and chipping its plaster coating. The damage revealed the gold beneath, and Guinness later recognized it as the world's largest solid gold sculpture.

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