The relics were sent to the country by the great Indian Emperor Ashoka and buried beneath a Chinese temple over 1000 years ago.

The significance of the enshrining ceremony, attended by scores of Buddhist monks from across China including Tibet, Macau, Hong Kong as well as Taiwan, was that for the first time after the Communist takeover of the country the event was allowed to beamed live by television channels.

The casket, in which the relics known as "sarirars" (parts of the body of Buddha) were preserved in two different boxes, was opened amid chanting of hymns by the monks.

CTV which commissioned Indian and Buddhist scholars to elucidate on the history and importance of Buddhism announced that the relics represented the evidence of "Buddha's enlightenment and spiritual purity".

The casket, containing small size stupa of Emperor Ashoka in which the relics were preserved, is the largest and finest ever found in China.

"Its complicated techniques are rarely seen as it was made 1000 years ago" and it was discovered during excavations of the temple three years ago, according to one Buddhist scholar.

The casket made of gold, silver and sandalwood was found among scattered objects in an underground chamber. The relics were kept carefully in a small box made of gold, which also contained a bottle of perfume. Its objects which displayed to the public were closely scrutinised by magnifying cameras.

According to Buddhist scriptures, Emperor Ashoka collected all of Sakyamuni's sarira, stored them in pagoda-shaped shrines, before sending them to different parts of the world.

China is believed to have received 19 of them. Search is on for the rest. These caskets were not opened fearing bad luck.

Buddhism came to China in 68 AD when first Buddhist temple called White Horse temple was built in Luoyang by Chinese Monk Xuanzang after a 17-year-long voyage to India.

Luoyang was in news recently when President Pratibha Patil inaugurated an Indian style Buddhist temple which was built in association with India to revive the age old spiritual links between the two countries.

Buddhism flourished in China with patronage from successive ruling dynasties and dominant spiritual forces until the Communist take over in 1949 after which it was brought under state control.

During the cultural revolution in 1960s and 70s some its temples were destroyed and vandalised. In recent years, however, Buddhism steadily staged a come back as more and more Chinese beginning to rediscover their religious roots.

Officially, China has over 10 million Buddhists.

Chinese temple 'unveils' 1000 year old Buddha's relic
A famous Buddhist temple in China will open a new chapter in its history when monks and archaeologists "unveils" part of the skull believed to be that of Lord Gautam Buddha preserved in its "Ashoka pagoda" for over 1000 years and enshrine it. 

A "sarira" (as relics of Lord Buddha were reverentially called) believed to be part of the skull of Sakyamuni (yet another name for Gautam Buddha) will be enshrined in Qixia Temple in Jiangsu province's capital Nanjing tomorrow, state run 'China Daily' reported today. 

The temple said Buddhist monks and archaeologists will "unveil" the relic, stored in its "Ashoka pagoda" for the first time in the more than 1000 years. 

Buddhist monks will then enshrine the "sarira" in a case that will ensure a stable temperature and humidity, it said. 

The "unveiling" ceremony would be telecast live by some local televisions. 

The pagoda contains the only known part of Sakyamuni's skull, said Qi Haining, an expert with Nanjing Museum and head of the archaeological team responsible for its discovery. 

Buddhist monks will then enshrine the "sarira" in a case that will ensure a stable temperature and humidity. 

Archaeologists will document the entire process with photographs and videos and brief the press and public on the process of discovering the artefact and why they believe it belongs to Buddha, the 'Daily' said. 

Local authorities have promised tight security to ensure the safety of the sarira, which Buddhists all over the world regard as holy, it said. 

Over 2,500 years ago, Buddha's disciples retrieved one skull bone, two scapula's, four teeth and 84,000 pearl-like sariras after his body was cremated. 

According to Buddhist records, Emperor Asoka collected all of Sakyamuni's sarira, stored them in pagoda-shaped shrines before sending them to different parts of the world. China is believed to have received 19 of them. 

The discovery of the sarira to be enshrined on Saturday has been an exhilarating archaeological experience, the Daily said. 

It started in July 2008, when archaeologists set out to excavate the ruins of Nanjing's Changgan Temple, built in the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279). 

They unearthed a stele with an inscription, reading, "A Seven-Treasure Pagoda of King Asoka" that contained a miniature gold coffin nested inside a silver one. The gold casket holds Sakyamuni's sarira. 

Archaeologists were excited to find the record on the stele conforms with historical records of an Asoka pagoda a tiered tower with multiple eaves buried under the Changgan Temple, the second temple in China that received and housed Sakyamuni's sarira. 

However, their most exciting moment came last August, when they excavated from the temple a wooden Asoka pagoda covered with gilded silver and inlaid with "seven treasures", including gold, silver, colored glaze and amber. 

The pagoda contained the nested coffins with the Sakyamuni relic inside. But it took the team another year to excavate and verify the artefacts, it said. 

Buddhism came to China in 68 AD when first Buddhist temple called White Horse temple was built in Luoyang by Chinese Monk Xuanzan after a 17-year-long voyage to India. 

Luoyang was in news recently when President Pratibha Patil inaugurated an Indian style Buddhist temple which was built in association with India. 

Qixia Buddhist temple located in Qixia Hill, 22 kilometres northeast of center of Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China. 

Built in Yongming 7th year (AD 489) during Qi Dynasty, the temple is known for its large collection of Chinese Buddhist visual art and sculptural art in its temple ground. 

Its contains pagodas, murals and artwork that dates to back to the 10th century. 

Near the temple site and situated at the slopes of Qixia Hill, there lies a "Thousand Buddha Caves", containing many Buddhist sculptures. (Indian Express)