Shaolin Temple is a famous Buddhist temple in China which has long history with its association with Chinese martial arts, especially with Shaolin Kungfu. Located at Yufeng Peak, Dengfeng County, 49 kilometers west from Luoyang City, it is one of the most famous attractions among foreign visitors.

History of Shaolin Temple
Shaolin Temple was originally built in 495 in the Northern Wei Dynasty (368-534). 32 years later, an Indian monk named Bodhidharma arrived in Shaolin Monastery and from then on, the temple was expended gradually with increased monks and became more and more popular. For over 1500 years, Shaolin Temple has developed with twists and turns. During the Yuan and Ming dynasties, the Shaolin Temple housed some 1,000 monks and became a large Buddhist temple known at home and abroad. Today it has become an attractive tourist destination in China.

Highlights to See in Shaolin Temple
Shaolin Temple has separated to many interesting attractions include the Hall of Heavenly Kings (Tianwangdian), Mahavira Hall (Daxiongbaodian), Pagoda Forest, Dharma Cave and Shaolin Temple Martial Art Training Center. The Hall of heavenly Kings is tranquilly with red walls and green tiles, archways and paintings as well as two statues of Buddha's warriors. Mahavira Hall is located in the center in the temple. In the hall there enshrined Sakyamuni Buddha, Pharmacist Buddha and Amitabha Buddha. Both important celebrations and regular prayers are held in this hall. Pagoda Forest has become the major main attraction. There, in total have 232 well preserved pagodas from different dynasties all over the complex. Dharma Cave is 7 meters deep and 3 meters high. It is said that in this cave Dharma patiently faced the wall and meditated for 9 years and finally, he reached the immortal spiritual state and created the Buddhist Zen.

Shaolin Kungfu
Shaolin Kungfu became popular in Sui and Tang Dynasties, and soon grew stronger by absorbing the advantages of many other schools. It finally became the largest school of martial arts in China with branches all over the country. Shaolin Kungfu is an integrated one with famous top 72 unique skills, and kinds of Chinese boxing, cudgel play, spearplay, and swordsmanship.

Not only become famous among Shaolin Kung Fu fans, Shaolin Temple also listed by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage List. Surround by beautiful scenery, Shaolin Temple is the place where you could learn the original Kung Fu culture and history.