The information contained here are subject to change. Chinese History Digest is not responsible or liable if any changes should occur. If you can read Chinese, you could also visit the official website of the Famen Monastery for the latest information.

The Famen Temple (a.k.a. Famen Monastery, Famen Si in Chinese) is located 120km west of the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province. The historic roots of this Buddhist temple reach back to the time of the Han dynasty. These days, the temple is mostly known for the finger bone relic of the Buddha that is kept there. However, Famen Temple played a major role in Chinese history and even stirred up considerable upheaval during a period of the Tang dynasty when Buddhism came under attack. The famous temple is nowadays only a part of a much larger complex that has been named as the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area since 2009. The entire scenic area can be roughly divided into four parts, the Temple Gate Square, Foguang Avenue, the historic Famen Monastery and the modern Namaste Dagoba.

view of the Heart-Pacifying Pools and the Prajna Gate at the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic AreaThe Temple Gate Square (Shanmen Square) is the first area visitors will see after entering the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area. Distributed throughout its vast surface area of 150,000 square meters are visitor centers and tourist shops, lecture halls, hotels, restaurants, tea houses and other supporting service infrastructure. On the way north from this magnificent square towards Foguang Avenue, visitors will pass through four gates in succession, the first of which is Foguang Gate. Behind this first gate are two pools of water which are known as the "Heart-Pacifying Pools". The Prajna Gate, Bodhi Gate and Perfect Wisdom Gate (a.k.a. Gate of Sunyata) then follow next on the way.

The 1230-meter-long and 108-meter-wide Foguang Avenue divides the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area into a Western and Eastern Section. Along its main road, visitors will see ten Bodhisattva statues. The story of the Buddha from birth to enlightenment is told on yellow columns along the Eastern Section and the advancement of Buddhism since Sakyamuni's earthly passing is told along the Western Section. Foguang Avenue ends in the north in front of the 148-meter-tall Namaste Dagoba. This modern Buddhist stupa was designed by the same architect that had previously also designed the Taipei 101 building (a.k.a. the Taipei World Financial Center). Since the end of its three-year construction period in 2009, the Namaste Dagoba is unofficially regarded as the tallest Buddhist stupa in the world.

poster showing the finger bone of the Buddha at Famen Temple near Xi'anThe historic part of Famen Si lies to the east of the northern part of Foguang Avenue. Covering an area of about 30,000 square meters, the historic temple grounds with their ancient halls surrounded by verdant corridors stretch around a 13-tiered octagonal pagoda. Tourists can enter the temple compound through the main gate that stands to the south of the pagoda. Some of the important structures inside the temple are the main hall, treasure pavilion, drum tower, treasure tower as well as various other halls.

The main draw and claim to fame of the Famen Monastery is undoubtedly that it has stored a veritable finger bone of the Sakyamuni Buddha for millenia. This extraordinarily famous Buddhist relic was supposedly a part of the Buddha's middle finger of his left hand. However, it is not known with any certainty how this relic found its way to this remote temple. According to legend, it was bestowed to the temple by the Indian Emperor Ashoka around 300 BC.

More than a thousand years later, Buddhism reached its peak popularity and influence in China during the time of the Tang dynasty. In AD 874 at a time when the Tang dynasty was already in decline, the finger bone relic was ceremoniously enshrined at the Famen Monastery in an underground palace underneath the abovementioned pagoda tower. The entrance to this underground palace was eventually blocked sometime after that, perhaps to protect the enshrined relics and treasures from being vandalized and/or plundered during the tumultuous times that followed in Chinese history. Over the next 1000 years, all factual knowledge of the existence of an underground palace faded away but the story persisted as a myth.

view outside the main gate of the historic part of the Famen MonasteryOn the 24th of August 1981, a portion of the pagoda that stands on top of the underground palace collapsed after heavy rains. Reconstruction efforts had already begun six years later when archeologists accidentally discovered that hidden chamber on the 3rd of April 1987. Thorough excavation of the chamber yielded a treasure trove of 2499 relics with the Buddha's finger bone the most important among them.

The discovered Buddhist relics include 104 Buddhist figurines as well as hundreds of volumes of Buddhist scriptures. Hundreds of ancient textiles out of silk were found as well with the embroidered skirt of the only Chinese Empress Wu Zetian the most valuable piece among them. Furthermore, valuable historic relics of porcelain and glass as well as exquisite pieces of gold and silverware were also included among the hidden treasures of the underground palace. The 121 discovered gold and silver articles had all been specifically made for the imperial family at specialized imperial workshops. Perhaps the most remarkable piece among them is a gilt silver tea set that is believed to be the earliest-made royal tea set that was ever discovered. Many of all these relics and treasures are now exhibited at the Famen Temple Museum.

The finger bone relic is only displayed on certain days however. It is safely kept at the underground sanctum of the modern Namaste Dagoba where it had been enshrined on the 9th of May 2009. From there, it is brought up to the first floor of this futuristic-looking Buddhist stupa on the 1st day and 15th day of each lunar month as well as on Saturdays and Sundays. It has also been displayed abroad four times in its history to give Buddhists in Thailand, Taiwan, Hong Kong and South Korea a chance to worship and venerate this valuable and unique relic.

the modern Namaste Dagoba at the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area at sunrise

How to get to the Famen Temple near Xi'an?

On the following Google map, you can see the location of the Famen Temple (the blue icon) and the Famen Temple Hotel (the yellow hotel bed icon) which is our recommended hotel nearby. Zoom out of the map to see the location of the Sheraton Xi'an Hotel and the Wyndham Grand Xian Residence, our recommended hotels at the city center of Xi'an. Further below on this page, you can read a review of the services and amenities of all of these hotels. In case you are planning a trip to China, you could support this website by using the provided affiliate links to check prices and book your hotel accomodation!

You can book hotels in China with both of our affiliate partners Agoda and Trip.com. No matter whether you choose Agoda or Trip.com, you will find many offers on each of these platforms that will allow you to make a risk-free booking with the possibility of free cancellation until a clearly stated date and time, sometimes as late as on the intended date of arrival. However, some deals require prepayment and don't permit cancellation without fees. In that case, the incurred cancellation fees are clearly stated.

When following an Agoda link, the search results will show you prices, availability and special offers for your chosen dates with the recommended hotel in the top search position as well as for other hotels in the same area. Links to Trip.com will take you to the specific hotel webpage where you can then search for availability, prices and special deals with your chosen dates.

The provided information was thoroughly researched from various hotel booking websites. Chinese History Digest is not responsible if any information regarding the provided services and amenities might have changed.

Recommended Hotel near the Famen Monastery

The 3-star Famen Temple Hotel that is reviewed first in detail below is located inside the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area, so it is right next to all the places of interest that are mentioned above on this page. It is available for booking on Trip.com but not on Agoda.

Recommended Hotel near the Xi'an West Bus Station

The Sheraton Xi'an Hotel that is reviewed below is located only about 4km away from the Xi'an West Bus Station. In addition to the links to Agoda that are used in the review below, this 5-star hotel is also available for booking on Trip.com by following this link. A taxi ride from the hotel to the bus station should take about 12 - 15 minutes. Alternatively, you could also walk from the hotel to either the Kaiyuanmen or the Yanpingmen Metro Station and then take the metro from there to the Hancheng Lu Station. There, take Exit D to get to the Xi'an West Bus Station. A trip by direct tourist bus from there to the Famen Temple Cultural Scenic Area takes about 2 hours and busses leave the station at 9am, 11.40am and 4.30pm.

Recommended Hotel near the Tang Paradise Theme Park

Another way to travel to the Famen Temple is by tourist bus from the west gate of the Tang Paradise Theme Park. Busses leave in the morning between 8am and 10.30am and guests that bought full-price tickets for both the temple and the theme park can get free bus tickets under certain conditions (consult the West Gate Ticket Office and Tourist Center of Tang Paradise for more information on that). The Wyndham Grand Xian Residence that is reviewed below is located only 470 meters away from the Tang Paradise Theme Park. In addition to the links to Agoda that are used in the review below, this 5-star hotel is also available for booking on Trip.com by following this link.