Chinese Temple Exhibit Described as Buddha’s Bones

Small objects thought to be part of Buddha’s bones went on display at a temple Thursday, and cultural officials hailed them as an invaluable archeological find.

The bone fragments, about the size of rice grains, were displayed under a tiny plastic dome at the Guangji Temple, headquarters of the Buddhist Assn. of China. They were discovered six years ago, but the discovery was not announced until last week.

Objects purported to be Buddha’s teeth are in Sri Lanka and in a pagoda in western Beijing.

Apart from the teeth, the fragments are the only known remains from the cremation of Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion who died in India about 2,470 years ago. The remains were divided into eight portions and sent to different kingdoms of ancient India. A bundle was brought to China in 601 as a gift and put into a cave near Yunju Temple, southwest of the capital, where it was found.

“As relics, they are an invaluable find and underline how Buddhism was brought to China (from India),” said Peng Siqi, deputy director of the Beijing Bureau of Museums and Archeological Data.