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One Thousand Year Old King's Belts Found Under Collapsed Pagoda
Pieces of two rotten belts with luxurious decorations, unearthed from the foundation of a collapsed pagoda in east China, were identified as belonging to a king who sincerely believed in Buddhism about 1,000 years ago.
One of the belts was found outside an iron case containing Buddha's hair relic, and the other was found inside the case. Both of the belts, made of leather, were decorated with silver and bronze adornments.
Archaeologists believe that the belts belonged to Qian Shu, a king of the Wuyue Kingdom, which occupied areas comprising today's southern Jiangsu and northern Zhejiang provinces about 1,000 years ago.
The king dedicated the belts symbolizing kingship to the pagoda in order to show sincerity and adoration to Buddhism, said experts.
The treasures, including a silver gold-plated miniature pagoda, were unearthed from the foundation of Leifeng Pagoda near the scenic West Lake in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province on March 11.
The excavation has drawn wide attention in China, because of a Chinese legend about the Leifeng Pagoda. According to the legend, fairy Bainiangzi was covered under the Leifeng Pagoda for the sacrifice of love.
However, the over 1,000 year old Leifeng Pagoda collapsed 77 years ago. Experts have debated for a long time whether to rebuild the pagoda.
Last year, a decision was made by the government of Hangzhou City to rebuild it. The excavation of the foundations of the old pagoda is a part of the rebuilding project.
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