It is said that this followed the historical fact of King Ashoka in India taking Buddha's relics out of seven of the eight pagodas which had been built after Buddha's death, and restoring them in 84,000 pagodas.
これは、インドのアショーカ王が釈迦の入滅後立てられた8本の塔のうち7本から仏舎利を取り出して、新たに8万4千塔に分納したという故事に習ったものだという。