The tiny golden coffin may contain a fragment of the Buddha's skull.

Archaeologists discovered a skull fragment, likely belonging to the Buddha, buried in a very small golden coffin hidden in an underground tomb.

The exquisitely crafted golden coffin contains the skull of the Buddha. Photo: Chinese Cultural Relics.

According to Live Science, the skull fragment was found hidden inside a 1,000-year-old model of a burial pagoda. The pagoda was placed within an iron casket inside a stone chest in a tomb beneath the Liuli Pagoda at the Da Bao'en Temple in Nanjing, China. Inscriptions on the chest confirmed the skull fragment was part of the Buddha's remains.

The pagoda is exquisitely designed, made from sandalwood, gold, and silver, and covered with precious stones made of glass, crystal, agate, and lapis lazuli. The pagoda is 117 cm high and 45 cm wide. According to the inscription on the outside of the stone chest, the pagoda containing the remains was built during the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Northern Song Dynasty (997-1022). The inscription includes the names of those who donated money and materials for the construction, as well as the names of some of the builders.

A team of archaeologists from the Nanjing Institute of Archaeology excavated the tomb from 2007 to 2010 with the assistance of experts from other institutions in China. Details of the discovery were published in Chinese in the journal Wenwu in 2015 before being translated into English in the journal Chinese Cultural Relics.

Archaeologists are unsure whether the skull fragment actually belonged to the Buddha. Nevertheless, the fragment, housed at The Ha Temple in Nanjing, is still revered by the monks.

The inscription on the stone chest was written by the monk Duc Minh, who called himself "the all-powerful founder, abbot of Thua Thien Pagoda and wearing a purple robe," and stated the origin of the Buddha's skull fragment.

See more images of the coffin containing the Buddha's skull here >>>

According to Venerable Thich Duc Minh, after the Buddha entered Nirvana, his body was cremated near the Hirannavati River in India. The then-ruling Indian emperor Ashoka (reigned from 268 to 232 BC) decided to preserve the Buddha's remains by dividing them into a total of 84,000 parts. China was entrusted with 19 parts, including a skull fragment.

The skull fragments were kept in a temple that had been repeatedly destroyed by war 1,400 years ago. "The remnants of the temple's foundations are scattered on the lawn. In times of turmoil, it seems no one cared about Buddhist affairs," wrote Venerable Duc Minh.

Emperor Zhenzong agreed to rebuild the temple and decided to bury the Buddha's skull fragment along with the relics of other Buddhas in an underground tomb within the temple. The burial ceremony was held on July 21, 1011, with the most solemn and elaborate rituals.

According to archaeologists, a fragment of the Buddha's skull was placed in a tiny golden coffin. This coffin was then placed inside another silver coffin. The silver coffin was then placed inside a stupa containing the relics.

The small gold and silver coffins are decorated with lotus flowers, phoenixes, and sword-wielding deities. The surfaces of these coffins also feature images of Apsara goddesses playing musical instruments.

The skull fragment of the Buddha was placed in a golden coffin along with a crystal vase and a silver box. All of these contained the relics of other Buddhist deities.

The surface of the stupa containing the relics is carved with many images of the Buddha along with scenes depicting stories of the Buddha's life from his birth to his attainment of Nirvana.

According to VNE