Buddha’s Skull Discovered in
Ancient Crypt in China
Jamie A. Jul 01, 2016 Nature World
News
Archaeologists have discovered a skull bone of the Buddha in an
ancient crypt in China.
The
researchers excavating in the area found the bone of the revered
Siddharta Gautama or the Buddha inside a model of a stupa, which is
a Buddhist meditation shrine. The 1,000-year-old meditation shrine
was found inside a stone chest in an ancient crypt beneath the
Grand Bao'en Temple in Nanjing, China.
According
to scientists, who published their research in the journal Chinese
Cultural Relics, the ancient stupa contained remains of Buddhist
saints, including a skull with inscriptions saying the bone
belonged to the Buddha himself.
The stupa
model was made of sandalwood, silver and gold, and is studded with
gemstones of crystals, glass, agate and lapis lazuli.
The stupa
model was a stone chest, and inscriptions engraved on the chest's
surface indicate that it was constructed during the time of Emperor
Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, 997-1022 A.D. Inscribed on the stupa
are the names of the people who donated money and material for the
construction of the model and those who were involved in the
construction, Live
Science reports.
According
to the archaeologists, while the inscriptions say that the skull
belonged to the Buddha, it was not confirmed whether the bone
really belonged to him.
The stupa
model was 117 cm tall and 45 cm wide, and was encased in an iron
box. The iron box, in turn, was stored in a stone chest.
An
inscription on the stone chest, which was written by a man named
Deming 1,000 years ago, indicated that he is "the Master of Perfect
Enlightenment, Abbot of Chengtian Monastery [and] the Holder of the
Purple Robe," as translated in the journal.
The Buddha's
Burial
Siddharta
Gautama was believed to have been born in
5th century B.C., a spiritual teacher who is
recognized by Buddhists of this age as the Supreme Buddha. His
teachings are contained in the Tripitaka, the canon of Buddhist
thought.
According
to the inscription, after the Buddha's body was cremated in India,
King Ashoka, the ruler of India at that time, ordered the remains
of the Buddha to be preserved in one of the 84,000 shrines. China
received 19 of these shrines, including the one where the skull
bone was encased.
The temple
where the bone was kept was destroyed during a series of wars 1,400
years ago, but was rebuilt by Emperor Zhenzong who also ordered for
the remains to be buried in an underground crypt.
In a press
statement published in Telegraph
UK, Qi Haining, head of the Nanjing
Museum, said that the pagoda is unique as it is the only one that
contains parts of the Buddha's skull.
But
according to Haining, there would be a lengthy process before cases
could be opened for fear of damaging the contents. The same
happened in 2001 when a relic of Buddha's hair was found and
authorities declined to open the welded box.
Buddhist
monks have interred the remains in Qixia Temple in China following
the excavation.