Changes

It is sometimes purported to have been founded in the 3rd century BCE, around the time of the Indian king & great patron of Buddhism [[Ashoka]], though the earliest records of the temple date to [[555]]; texts indicate that a regional ruler worshiped at the temple at that time.

It is sometimes purported to have been founded in the 3rd century BCE, around the time of the Indian king & great patron of Buddhism [[Ashoka]], though the earliest records of the temple date to [[555]]; texts indicate that a regional ruler worshiped at the temple at that time.

The temple is famous for its possession of a supposed relic of the [[Shakyamuni|historical Buddha]], a finger bone exhibited in procession once every thirty years.

The temple is famous for its possession of a supposed relic of the [[Shakyamuni|historical Buddha]], a finger bone originally exhibited in procession once every thirty years. It was last displayed in this manner in [[873]], however, as the [[Tang Dynasty]] grew so weak, and financially wanting, by [[903]] (the next time it would have been shown) that the ceremony was discontinued; it was never re-established in the ensuing centuries.

 

The temple's stone pagoda was severely damaged in an earthquake in [[1569]], but was rebuilt. In 1981, another earthquake caused half of the temple's stone pagoda to fall away, revealing a hidden storage area containing various treasures from the [[Silk Road]] trade. The pagoda has since been restored.

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==References==

==References==

*Valerie Hansen, ''The Open Empire'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company (2000), 238.

*Valerie Hansen, ''The Open Empire'', New York: W.W. Norton & Company (2000), 238, 242-243.

[[Category:Temples]]

[[Category:Temples]]

[[Category:Asuka Period]]

[[Category:Asuka Period]]