Tang dynasty artefacts reveal a golden age

IN 1981, a heavy storm caused part of the Famen Temple pagoda in the Shaanxi province of China to collapse, revealing a large Buddhist underground palace containing treasures from the Tang dynasty that had been lying untouched for over 1,000 years.

The discovery contained many valuable items such as silk textiles, gold and silver trinkets, rare ceramic and glass objects, and most importantly, what is believed to be the finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha - the founder of Buddhism.

Buddha's finger bone relic was found hidden away in coffin-shaped reliquary in a secret side panel in the same room as eight other containers holding decoy bones. Since its discovery, it has drawn many Buddhists from all over the world to visit and worship the relic.