Kalaripayattu, Bodhidharma and Shaolin kung fu
AI-drafted · awaiting admin review
A popular story says the Indian monk Bodhidharma took Kalaripayattu to China and founded Shaolin kung fu. Historians find no early evidence for it.
Indian claim not supported by evidenceCulture, games, language & ideas
Indian claim
Bodhidharma, a monk from south India, taught Indian martial arts such as Kalaripayattu to the monks of Shaolin, so kung fu and the East Asian martial arts descend from India.
Evidence for the Indian claim
- Bodhidharma is traditionally credited with bringing Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China; some accounts say he came from south India (others say Persia or Central Asia).
- Kalaripayattu is a genuine ancient Indian martial art; the word 'kalari' (arena) appears in Sangam poems, and its precursors include Sangam-era combat and the Sanskrit Dhanurveda tradition.
Commonly credited to
Chinese martial arts grew in China itself; Shaolin fighting traditions developed later and the Bodhidharma story is a legend.
Evidence for the other claim
- The link between Bodhidharma and Shaolin fighting first appears in the Yijin Jing, a manual written in 1624 by a Daoist priest and falsely attributed to Bodhidharma; the Chinese historian Tang Hao showed it was a forgery in the 20th century.
- Early Shaolin history and Chinese records of armed Shaolin monks (7th century onward) do not credit Bodhidharma with any martial teaching.
- Kalaripayattu in its developed form is usually dated to about the 11th–12th century, centuries after Bodhidharma.
What historians and scientists say
Kalaripayattu is a proud Indian martial tradition in its own right. The story that Bodhidharma carried it to China and founded kung fu has no early evidence and is regarded by historians as a later legend.