Buddhist relic enshrined in Nanjing temple

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A rare piece of Lord Buddha's skull has been permanently enshrined in a temple on Niushou Mountain in China's eastern Jiangsu province, seven years after the relic was discovered.

The relic was transferred from Qixia Temple in Nanjing to Foding Palace for permanent enshrinement.

"We hope the relic can be well enshrined and protected here with the joint efforts of the monks, Buddhists and people in Nanjing," President of the Buddhist Association of China, Monk Xuecheng was quoted as saying by the state-run China Daily.

The event was held following the World Buddhist Forum in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, over the weekend.

The parietal bone - one of the bones in the skull - of Sakyamuni was unearthed in 2008 when archaeologists found a crypt in the ruins of Changgan Temple, which was built in the Song Dynasty (AD 420-479) during excavation work at the Nanjing Grand Bao'en Temple.

After its excavation in Nanjing, the parietal bone relic of Sakyamuni was first displayed in Nanjing in 2010.

It was later exhibited in Hong Kong and Macao in 2012.

According to Buddhist records, Emperor Asoka collected all parts of the body of Lord Buddha after his Nirvana, stored them in pagoda-shaped shrines before sending them to different parts of the world.

China is believed to have received 19 of them but most of them have collapsed due to natural wear and tear as well as negligence.