The Famen Temple

The Famen Temple is located in Famen Town ten kilometers north of Fufeng County seat, 120 kilometers west of Xi’an. It is a famous temple in China. It was built in ancient times to house the finger bones of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.

Famen means the initial approach to become a Buddhist believer. The Famen Temple was constructed in the Eastern Han Dynasty because of the stupa there. The Famen Temple stupa, also known as “the Real Spirit Pagoda”, is famous for the fact that it houses a finger bone of Sakyamuni. In 485 B.C., after Sakyamuni’s nirvana, the Buddhist King Asoka (268 B.C. --- 232 B.C.) of ancient India decreed that in order to spread Buddhism he would divide Skayamuni’s relics into 84,000 bits and send thme to places all over the world. 84,000 stupas were constructed top house them. There are 19 such stupas in China. The Famen Temple Stupa is one of them. Thus the Famen Temple and its stupa enjoyed the reputation of being the “forfather of pagodas and temples in Central Shaanxi”.

The Famen Temple Pagoda was originally called Asoka Stupa. During the years of Zhenguan (627---649) in the Tang Dynasty, it was reconstructed into a four-storeyed wooden structure. After nearly 2,000 years of existence, the wooden stupa fell down in 1569 due to an earthquake. In 1579, Buddhists in Fufeng County collected alms and donations to rebuild the stupa into an exquisite and splendid brick octagonal pagoda of 13 storeys, 47 meters high. It took 30 years to complete the whole project. Because of the massive weight of the stupa and the relatively small underground palace, 54 years after its completion, the stupa began to tilt toward the southwest. In 1976, because of constant rain in Fufeng County and the impact of Songpan earthquake that occurred in Sichuan, the tilt of the stupa increased toward the southwest. In 1981, the western side of this tilted stupa collapsed after incessant rains. Most of the body of the stupa collapsed shortly thereafter. Only part of the body remained on an incomplete platform of broken bricks.

In 1985, the Shaanxi Provincial Government decided to rebuild the stupa in the style of the brick one of the Ming Dynasty. While clearing the stupa foundation, the underground palace was accidentally discovered. For more than 1,000 years, the palace had housed the remains of the finger bones of Sakyamuni and other valuable relics that enshrined these precious bones.

According to the tablet inscriptions discovered in the underground palace, the finger bone had always been kept inside the Famen Stupa. During the 400 years from the Northern Wei period (439 A.D.) to the Tang Dynasty (618 A.D. --- 907 A.D.), emperors of different periods believed that the worship of the finger bone could bless the security of the nation and bring a stable life to the people. So the emperors opened the palace several times, and worshiped the enshrined finger bone. This type of worship became more and more frequent. The most extravagant ceremony took place during the 14th year of the reign of Tang Yizong in 873 A.D.. This was also the last time of the imperial worship. It took two years to make preparations for the ceremony. At that time when the ceremony was about to take place, much activity was seen along the road for over 100 kilometers, from the capital city, Chang’an, to the Famen Temple. Horses and carts never ceased moving to and from and people set up food stalls along both sides of the road, so the pilgrims could enjoy whatever they liked. Buddha’s finger was guarded by the royal guards armed with swords and staffs. The Guard of Honor was composed of over 10,000 people. The capital city was brightly lit and beautifully decorated for such an occasion. All the court officers and officials were part of the ceremony. However, three months after the greeting ceremony for Buddha’s finger bone Tang Yizong passed away. Emperor Xizong, his son, returned the finger bone to the Famen Temple and closed the underground palace. Since then there has never been another greeting ceremony for Buddha’s finger bone.

The underground palace at the Famen Temple, 21.2 meters long, covers an area of 31.84 square meters. It is the largest palace among all the temples and stupas discovered so far in China. The four finger bones discovered there are most riveting. The first one was kept in a millimeters long and hollow all through, hung vertically on a silver bar on a gold stupa base. The second, which is like the first in shape, was kept in a double-eave marble coffin in the central room of the palace. The third on e was kept in a five-layered marble chest, which was retained in a secret niche in the back room. This finger bone is tube-like, 37 millimeters long and is slightly yellow. The fourth one was kept in a colored King Asoka stupa in the front room. Its color and shape are very much like that of the first and second finger bone. Zhao Puchu, Chairman of the All-China Buddhism Association and Zhou Shaoliang, Vice Chairman of the Buddhism Association, determined that the third finger bone is the original, which means it is the only real finger bone of the Buddha. The other three were “shadow bone”, imitations which the Tang emperor had made in order to protect the real one. But in the eyes of Buddhist believers, even the “shadow bones” were so sacred that they too enjoyed the same significance and importance as the real one.

The finger bone discovered at the Famen Temple is the only real finger bone of the Buddha that has been discovered and maintained in the world. Many other relics were also unearthed form the underground palace. They are considered to be national treasures.

The technique of gold brocade weaving developed in the Tang Dynasty was surprisingly exquisite. The gold thread used in weaving was only 0.1 millimeter thick, finer than a hair. Silk thread was taken as the cord around which the gold thread coiled. One meter of the thread could make 3,000 circles. The embroidered skirts that Emperess Wu Zetian consecrated were made out of this material.

The secret celadon is a kind of Chinese green porcelain. The techniques used to make the celadon are very intricate. The court kept all of this information a secret, which is indicated by its name, “secret celadon.” The secret celadon unearthed at the Famen Temple was a breakthrough for the study of the history of Chinese porcelain. It provides much information for the determination of the age and characteristics of this type of porcelain.

The gold and silver ware unearthed at the Famen Temple is of high quality and great value. The four-faced, twelve-ringed gilded monk’s cane is the most precious Buddhist staff in terms of style, technology and material. The discovery of the underground treasures in the Famen Temple is unprecedented in all the archaeological findings of the Tang Dynasty, as far as the variety, quality and the state of preservation of the treasures are concerned. These valuable relics provide us with important data for the study of social, technological and artistic exchanges between China and other parts of the world.

There are many inscribed stone tablets in the temple. They contain valuable historical data. An iron bell cast in 1472 (the 8th year of Chenghua reign of the Ming Dynasty), weighs 3,600 kilograms. It can be heard several miles away when struck. The tolling of the Famen morning bell was one of Fufeng County’s famous eight attractions. The lying stone tiger which was presented by the Sui Emperor, Wen Di, is really a superb piece. The stone reveals a tiger’s image when it is splashed with water. The story, which is said to be the one in the traditional opera “The Famen Temple” where Song Qiaojiao kneels to bring a lawsuit, is often thought-provoking to the tourists.

Both the Famen Temple and the Famen Temple Stupa have been rebuilt based on the model from the Ming Dynasty. The underground palace remains intact, and a passage into it for visitors has been constructed. On the west side of the Famen Temple a museum housing the excavated treasures was built according to the architectural style of the Tang Dynasty. Famen Township has been reconstructed as well for the sake of tourism in the area.