Rebuilt tower in Nanjing to enshrine sacred bone
Source: Xinhua |
August 16, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AN ancient Buddhist tower in east China's Jiangsu Province, one of the wonders of the world during medieval times, is to enshrine part of the skull bone of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism.
The Buddha's remains, or sarira, will be worshipped in the tower after it is rebuild by the end of 2011, said Kong Li, an official with the Nanjing government.
The rebuilding work is to begin at the tower's original site this year, more than 150 years after it was destroyed.
The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, also known as Bao'en Temple, was ranked one of the Seven Wonders of the World in medieval times.
It was built during the reign of Chinese Emperor Yong Le (1403-1425) in the Ming Dynasty for his mother. But it was completely destroyed during the war between the Qing Imperial Court and the Taiping rebels in 1856.
The construction of the nine-story, 78-meter tower took nearly 20 years and involved some 100,000 workers. The tower was octagonal and 29 meters in diameter, covered with white and shining porcelain bricks interlaid with colorful bricks and stones.
The holy remains to be enshrined in the Porcelain Tower were unveiled in June. Uncovered from an underground chamber of the Porcelain Tower, the sarira is now enshrined in Qixia Temple in Nanjing.
It is said that 2,500 years ago, Sakyamuni's disciples recovered one skull bone, four teeth, two collar bones and 84,000 particles of relics from the cremation pyre of Sakyamuni.
"The skull bone is highly sacred for Buddhists," said Master Xue Cheng, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China.
The skull bone was brought to China by Danapala, an eminent monk from India, during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
The Buddha's remains, or sarira, will be worshipped in the tower after it is rebuild by the end of 2011, said Kong Li, an official with the Nanjing government.
The rebuilding work is to begin at the tower's original site this year, more than 150 years after it was destroyed.
The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, also known as Bao'en Temple, was ranked one of the Seven Wonders of the World in medieval times.
It was built during the reign of Chinese Emperor Yong Le (1403-1425) in the Ming Dynasty for his mother. But it was completely destroyed during the war between the Qing Imperial Court and the Taiping rebels in 1856.
The construction of the nine-story, 78-meter tower took nearly 20 years and involved some 100,000 workers. The tower was octagonal and 29 meters in diameter, covered with white and shining porcelain bricks interlaid with colorful bricks and stones.
The holy remains to be enshrined in the Porcelain Tower were unveiled in June. Uncovered from an underground chamber of the Porcelain Tower, the sarira is now enshrined in Qixia Temple in Nanjing.
It is said that 2,500 years ago, Sakyamuni's disciples recovered one skull bone, four teeth, two collar bones and 84,000 particles of relics from the cremation pyre of Sakyamuni.
"The skull bone is highly sacred for Buddhists," said Master Xue Cheng, vice president of the Buddhist Association of China.
The skull bone was brought to China by Danapala, an eminent monk from India, during the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127).
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