At a temple in Henan, China, experts discovered a hidden chamber. Upon entering, they found the mummified remains of a monk and a mysterious box.
Located beside Mount Song, the Da Ming Wang Temple in Henan, China, surprised archaeologists by concealing a significant secret: a hidden chamber within this ancient temple.
According to experts, the hidden chamber in Da Ming Wang Temple was discovered by chance. Thieves had sneaked into the temple to steal treasures. Fortunately, the incident was quickly noticed by the temple staff, prompting the thieves to flee without taking anything.
To prevent the thieves from returning, the temple reported the incident to local authorities. Subsequently, experts from the local cultural heritage department visited Da Ming Wang Temple for an inspection.
As a result, the team of experts discovered an underground hidden chamber. Upon entering, they were astonished to see the mummified remains of a monk.
Da Ming Wang Temple.
The experts assessed that the mummified monk was in remarkably good condition. Despite the passage of centuries, the monk’s body showed no signs of decay.
Next to the mummified monk, the team found a small, intricately crafted wooden box. The experts carefully opened the box to see what “treasure” it contained. However, upon seeing the contents, everyone was astonished as they could not identify what it was.
To clarify this mystery, the experts took the contents of the box for further study. After a series of examinations, they identified the “treasure” as relics, also known as sarira, which are sacred Buddhist remains.
Mummified monk Yan Ren.
The experts also found a stone tablet at Da Ming Wang Temple. Based on the inscriptions on the tablet, they were able to learn about significant events the temple had experienced, as well as the construction process of the hidden chamber.
This allowed them to clarify the identity of the mummified monk in the hidden chamber. It was the remains of monk Yan Ren, a Japanese monk who traveled to China to study Buddhism during the Tang Dynasty. Later, monk Yan Ren chose to settle and practice at Da Ming Wang Temple until his passing.
