A sacred statue of a cow that was discovered on an ancient hill in Preah Vihear province on Saturday is being kept at the local museum following a short ceremony on Monday.

The statue of Preah Ko (Holy Cow) was discovered by a local villager from Choam Ksan district’s Yeang commune and handed over to archaeologists.

Archaeologist Moung Chansey who works in the Preah Vihear museum told The Post that even though the statue was not complete, it was made during the Angkor era.

“This statue is made of soft stone and it seems to have been made during the Angkor era. We did not do tests to find out the age of the stone yet,” he said.

Chansey said archaeologists at the national level in Phnom Penh will conduct further experiments. “They will use chemical substances to pinpoint the age of this statue,” he said.

According to Prak Sovannara, the director-general of the culture ministry’s heritage department, the statue was found by Leak Socheat, 32. It was given to experts in Preah Vihear on Sunday to keep temporarily.

“Some villagers did not know the story and accused Cheat of stealing the statue. It is not the truth. We should admire Cheat for taking the statue from the forest and giving it to experts to keep as national heritage,” said Sovannara.