The Horyuji Temple is located a short train ride from the more popular Nara station. Once we arrived at the Horyuji station, a volunteer guide approached us to offer a free guided visit of the Horyuji temple which we really appreciated. The temple contains some of the oldest wooden buildings in the world. This temple was founded by Prince Shotoku, one of the pioneers in bringing Buddhism to Japan. Our guide told us that the ashes of Buddha were buried under the pagoda. The way by which the ashes got there from India remain a mystery so I am a bit sceptical about the presence of the “real” ashes of Buddha. The Horyu-ji temple is really large with plenty of buildings to see. There is even an indoor museum with exhibits of rare and precious Buddhist statues.
Country: JapanArea : Kinki area
Prefecture : Nara-ken
City : Ikaruga-chō
District : Hōryūji
