Famen Temple and Qianling Mausoleum Day Tour

Pick up from your hotel in Xian. First drive 115km west of Xian and get to Famen Temple. The Famen Temple was first set up during East Han Dynasty. In the year 147 AD, King Asoka of India traveled to Asia, preaching Buddhism. He established Famen Temple and left the fingers of Buddha to be enshrined here. In the course of rebuilding the pagoda in 1987,an underground vault was discovered under the base of the pagoda. A great amount of Buddhist relics were found including four finger sarira relics.

In May 2009 the Shaanxi government completed the building of a much larger complex adjacent to the Famen Temple. With an area of 150 areas the new “Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area” extended 150 acres to the old temple complex. The most prominent feature of the new complex is the 148m Namaste Dagoba and vault. The Namaste Dagoba is used to enshrine the only relic of Sakyamuni’s finger bone in the world.

After lunch, then visit Qianling Tomb, 85km west of Xian – the co-tomb of Emperor Tang Gaozong ( Li Zhi, 628 A.D.- 683 A.D.) and Empress Wu Zetian (624 A.D.- 705 A.D.), the only Empress in Chinese history. Qianling Mausoleum was first built in 684 A.D.and its construction took 23 years. An holy way flanked by animal and human statues leading all the way to the tombs from the southern approach.

End of service. Transferred to your hotel in Xian