Famen (Buddhism Door, meaning the initial approach to becoming a Buddhist believer) Temple is famous for housing the four important Buddhist relics linked to Sakyamuni (Siddhartha Guatama) himself, the founder of Buddhism, including reputedly the remains of his finger bone. This would be the only remaining fragment of “the Sage of the Shakyas” in the world today.
Famen Temple is located in Fufeng (Steady Wind) County, Baoji (Precious Chicken) Prefecture, around 120 kilometers west of Xi'an city. The temple was originally built in the East Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220AD), but was destroyed and rebuilt subsequently as a Buddhist farm. The Tang Dynasty (618-907) was the heyday of the temple when it grew to a scale of 24 courtyards. In 874 AD, Sakyamuni's finger bone had have been entombed in the temple to protect it during a period of rebellion.
In 1987, a treasure trove was discovered in the temple when it was under renovation. The finds include four Buddhist relics, 121 pieces of gold and silver ware once for used for Buddhist worship in the temple, 400 pieces of colored glass and ceramics and a lot of silks contributed by empresses, including Wu Zetian, China’s first and only empress regnant.
