Famen Temple

1,700-year-old Buddhist temple 110 km west of Xi'an. The 1987 discovery of a finger relic of the Buddha in its underground crypt was a major archaeological event.

Famen Temple's origins date to the Eastern Han (~150 CE). It became one of the most important Tang dynasty Buddhist sites because of its claimed finger relic of the Buddha. The original brick pagoda collapsed in 1981, and during reconstruction in 1987 the underground crypt was discovered — containing the Buddha's finger relic plus an extraordinary collection of Tang imperial offerings (gold and silver vessels, glass, textiles). The new museum displays these treasures; the rebuilt pagoda houses the relic in a crystal capsule.