Located at the base of Mount Shaoshi in Henan Province, the Pagoda Forest at Shaolin Temple is a sacred necropolis within the broader monastery complex. With its origins tracing back to 618 AD during the Tang Dynasty, the forest is home to over 240 stone and brick pagodas, each serving as a tomb or memorial for esteemed monks, abbots and martial art masters.

The Shaolin Monastery was founded in 495AD during the Northern Wei Dynasty by Emperor Xiaowen to accommodate an Indian monk named Batuo. But it wasn’t until a second Indian monk, Bodhidharma arrived around 527AD that the legends really began. Bodhidharma, considered the father of Zen Buddhism, is said to have meditated in a cave near the temple for nine years, facing a wall until he achieved enlightenment.