9. Big Discovery in Iron Box
An ancient reliquary that has lain under the earth for over 1,000 years was unearthed in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, on August 7. The relic, used as a shrine, was found in an iron box discovered in an underground palace located in the ruins of an ancient temple in the city. It was believed to be one of the over 80,000 pagoda-shaped shrines made during the reign of King Asoka of India (273-236 B.C), in which the sarira of Sakyamuni, or the Buddha, called shelizi in Chinese, were enshrined.
Archaeologists said that it is the largest seven-treasure King Asoka reliquary (made of seven kinds of materials such as gold, silver, colored glaze, agate and amber) found in China to date.
After three months, the 1.1-meter-high pagoda was successfully removed from the iron box on November 22. Currently, the relic is undergoing restoration. On whether or when the pagoda could be opened, archaeologists said it is still uncertain and they would listen to the opinions of the religious circle.
