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 (Youth 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 Kalaripayattu. 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 (Agyat Guru) appeared and started teaching ancient martial arts. No one knows who he was or where he came from, and later he also disappeared mysteriously. Till today, even in the research of our Grandmaster Rajesh Debbarma Sir, it has not been found who he was and where he went. That is why we respectfully call him the 'Agyat Guru' of Tripura.

The Origin of Kung-fu - Grandmaster Bodhidharma