Remains of mummified Indian Buddhist monk donated to Chinese govt

Beijing: The well-preserved remains of a mummified Buddhist monk from India who migrated to China have been donated by a Chinese temple to the local government in northern Hebei Province, a state-run media reported on Tuesday.

The remains are said to belong to Buddhist master Cixian Sanzang in the Khitan Empire or Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125).

"Underneath the gold foil and incense ashes of the statue, teeth from the upper jaw, as well as the ribs and the spine were well preserved, including even the joints," Wu Yongqing, a senior orthopedic doctor with the No. 1 People's Hospital of Wuan city said.

The remains were donated by Dinghui Temple in Huoshui town to Wuan's cultural relics protection institute.

Master Cixian Sanzang was from India and went to Khitan, translating many important sutras. After he passed away, his body was kept in soil and paint, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Wang Wei, head of the Wuan city's cultural relics protection institute, the remains are quite precious.

"Due to the poor conditions for preservation at the institute, they will be kept in the temple at the moment," he said.