Famen Temple: The Home of the Buddha's Finger Bone Relic (2026)

The Sacred Relic Under the Pagoda

In 1987, workers repairing a collapsed Tang-dynasty pagoda at Famen Temple, 110 kilometers west of Xi'an, made one of the great Buddhist archaeological discoveries of the 20th century: beneath the pagoda's foundation they found an underground crypt sealed for over a thousand years — containing a relic believed to be a finger bone of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. It is the only known example of this relic anywhere in the world.

Tickets and relic viewing times verified August 2026 — always confirm current schedules before you go.

A Royal Relic with a 1,000-Year History

Famen Temple was already one of China's most important Buddhist sites by the Tang dynasty. For three centuries, every few decades, emperors conducted elaborate ceremonies to bring the finger bone relic to the capital — a procession so significant it's recorded in the history books as a national event. The crypt was sealed in the 9th century during a period of persecution of Buddhism, and it stayed hidden until the 1987 discovery.

The Underground Crypt's Treasure

The crypt was not just a tomb — it was a royal treasury sealed by generations of emperors:

• The finger bone relic — housed in a nested set of containers: a gold coffin, a silver coffin, a crystal container, and seven increasingly ornate caskets, the "Eight Treasures" of Tang royal devotion
• Thousands of treasures — gold and silver ritual objects, glassware, silk, coins and ceramics, many bearing the names of the emperors who donated them
• The pagoda's treasures are now displayed in the modern museum beside the temple, so you can see the actual objects, not just read about them

What to See Today

• The modern relic hall — where the finger bone is displayed (viewing hours are scheduled; it's not always on continuous display — confirm before you go)
• The museum — the full treasure collection from the crypt, including the nested relic containers
• The temple itself — still an active Buddhist monastery with traditional courtyards
• The new pagoda — the original pagoda collapsed during repairs in the 1980s; a replacement stands on the site, and the crypt opening is preserved for viewing

How to Get There and Plan the Day

• Getting there — about 1.5-2 hours from Xi'an by tourist bus, private car or taxi; the temple is in Fufeng County, near Baoji
• Time — 2-3 hours for the temple, museum and relic hall
• Combine with: Qianling Mausoleum (about 40 minutes away) — the Buddha relic and the great imperial tomb make a full and memorable day trip from Xi'an