"Buddha's Skull Found In Nanjing

Chinese archaeologists have argued that the 1000-year-old miniature pagoda, unearthed in Nanjing has a piece of skull belonging to Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism.

Pagoda was wedged tightly inside the iron chest that was in the former site of the temple town in August.

The four-story pagoda, which is nearly four feet high and one and a half feet wide, is considered by archaeologists as one of the 84,000 pagodas commissioned by Ashoka the Great, in the second century BC to house the remains of the Buddha.

Ashoka, one of the greatest emperors of India, converted to Buddhism after a bloody war, are located in the eastern state of Orissa. He is widely credited with spreading Buddhism throughout Asia, and throughout his empire, which stretched from Pakistan through Afghanistan and Iran.

The pagoda found in Nanjing is made of wood, plated with silver and inlaid with gold, colored glass and amber. It is a description of another of Ashoka's pagodas which used to be housed in Changgan Buddhist temple in Nanjing.

A description of the contents of the pagoda were also found: one part gold coffin of Buddha's skull in a silver box. Although scans have confirmed that there are two small metal boxes inside the pagoda, experts have not looked inside. The pagoda is currently on display at the museum.



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