Famen Temple is located in Famen Town, 10 kilometers north of Fufeng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province. It is 120 kilometers west of Xi'an and 96 kilometers east of Baoji. As a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, the temple was first built in the late Eastern Han Dynasty during the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, with a history of over 1,700 years. Known as the Ancestor of Pagodas and Temples in Guanzhong, it prospered in the Northern Wei Dynasty, flourished in the Sui Dynasty and reached its zenith in the Tang Dynasty. Honored as an imperial temple, it has become a revered Buddhist sacred site across China for enshrining the finger bone relic of Sakyamuni Buddha.

One of China's renowned temples housing the authentic Buddha relics, Famen Temple originally covered a vast area. In the Tang Dynasty, it was home to more than 500 monks. Standing within the temple is an octagonal thirteen-storey pagoda built in the style of timber-framed architecture. Each floor features upturned eaves and intricate brackets adorned with gorgeous carvings. Inscriptions such as Pagoda of the True Buddha Relic, Key Town of Meiyang, Radiant Buddha Relic and Pagoda Shining in the Sun are carved on plaques at the base. Due to years of neglect, half of the pagoda collapsed in August 1981.

In 1987, the state launched the reconstruction of Famen Pagoda. During the foundation clearance work, an underground palace sealed with stone caskets was unearthed, housing an astonishing array of precious relics.

So far, this underground palace is the largest one discovered beneath a Buddhist pagoda in China. Constructed entirely of stone in the Tang Dynasty, it consists of brick steps, a tunnel, an antechamber, a middle chamber and a rear chamber, with four stone gates in total, presenting a grand and magnificent structure.

The most precious treasure inside is the authentic finger bone relic of Sakyamuni, preserved within eight nested sacred caskets. The underground palace also contains a great variety of rare artifacts: gold and silver wares, glassware, secret-color porcelain, stonework, ironware, lacquered wooden articles, jewels, pearls, gemstones and a large collection of textiles. All these treasures were once part of the Tang imperial collection. Boasting diverse categories and exquisite craftsmanship, they are priceless and rarely seen elsewhere in the world.

08:30 – 17:00

Famen Town, Fufeng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province