Introduction to the parietal bone relics: Buried under the lotus seat in the tower is the parietal bone relic of Master Xuanzang, which is engraved with "The Spiritual Bones of Master Xuanzang", hence the name of the tower. Xuanzang was originally buried in the Zige Temple Pagoda in Zhongnan Mountain, Xi'an. The pagoda was later destroyed by the war. In the fifth year of Chaotian Sheng's reign (1027) in the Liu Song Dynasty, monk Ke Zheng of Tianxi Temple in Jiankang went to Zige Temple and found Xuanzang's parietal bone, which he brought back to Jiankang (today's Nanjing) and buried in Tianxi Temple in the south of the city. During the Xianfeng period of the Qing Dynasty, all temples and towers were destroyed by war, and the whereabouts of Xuanzang's remains are unknown. In February 1943, the invading Japanese army Gao Sen's troops built the Inagaki Shrine near the Xuanzang Pagoda. During the construction, Xuanzang's parietal bone was dug out. The Japanese wanted to take possession of it. After repeated negotiations with the puppet government, only part of it was finally left to the Chinese side. On February 23, 1943, a ceremony was held to hand over the bones of Master Xuanzang. The bones were received by Wang Puppet Foreign Minister Chu Minyi and placed in Jiuhuashan Temple for enshrinement.

Leave a Reply