Kung Fu was originated by the great Indian monk, Grandmaster Bodhidharma. He was a Pallava prince from Kanchipuram, South India, born as the third son of King Sugandha. His spiritual Guru was the great Buddhist master Prajnatara.

In the 5th-6th century, on the instruction of his Guru Prajnatara, Bodhidharma travelled from India to China through a very difficult journey to spread the knowledge of Dhyana (Zen) Buddhism, Yoga, Martial Arts (Yuddh Kala) and Ayurveda.

In China, he reached the Shaolin Temple. He saw that the Chinese monks were very weak and could not sit for long meditation. To make their body and mind strong, he taught them special breathing techniques, body movements and self-defence forms inspired by animals and ancient Indian Yuddh Kala. This became the foundation of Shaolin Kung Fu. He also meditated for 9 years facing a wall and introduced Chan (Zen) philosophy.

The Secret of One Slipper:

It is said that after his death, Bodhidharma was buried in China. After three years, an official named Songyun met Bodhidharma on his way back from India. He was walking with a stick and had only one slipper (chappal) in his hand. He told Songyun that he was going back to India. When the Emperor heard this and opened his tomb, they found only one slipper inside. The tomb was empty. This remains a great mystery till today - how did he return to India?

The Mystery of Tripura:

Interestingly, around the same time when Bodhidharma disappeared from China, in Tripura an unknown master came and started teaching ancient martial arts. But no one knows who he was or where he came from. And years later, one day, he also disappeared mysteriously.

According to some researchers, it is believed that this unidentified individual was Bodhidharma himself.

But till today, it has not been found clearly through official documents who he was and where he went. That is why in Kung Fu, we respectfully call him the 'Agyat Guru' of Tripura.

The Origin of Kung Fu - Grandmaster Bodhidharma