The place a few hundred meters west of Shaolin Temple is Ta Lin, which is the burial ground where generations of eminent Shaolin monks have rested since the Tang Dynasty. It is also the largest tower forest in the country. The tomb towers have various shapes, such as square, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal, and round. These towers vary in size and height, primarily determined by factors such as the monk's devotion to Buddhism, reputation, and the magnitude of their merits.
Shaolin Temple's Scripture Pavilion, also known as Law Hall, is located on the central axis behind the Mahavira Hall of Shaolin Temple. It is used for high monks to give lectures and store Buddhist scriptures. The original contents of the Scripture Pavilion included the stone of Bodhidharma facing the wall, Buddhist artifacts, and over 5,000 volumes of Buddhist scriptures, including the Ming Dynasty Tripitaka. In 1928, the pavilion was burned down by fire, and all the scrolls, martial arts books, and Bodhidharma stone were destroyed, leaving only the foundation and 14 stone columns of the pavilion's walls. The current Scripture Pavilion of Shaolin Temple houses the Zhonghua Tripitaka, the Longzang, the Taisho Tripitaka, the Goryeo Tripitaka, and tens of thousands of other volumes. According to inscriptions, this pavilion was built during the Yuan Dynasty (1341-1368) and is now reconstructed based on the pre-fire documentation between 1992 and 1993.
The Daxiong Hall, also known as the "Hall of Three Buddhas" or "Linglong Hall" in ancient times, is usually referred to as the main hall or treasure hall, and it is the center of Buddhist activities in the temple. The newly built Daxiong Hall of Shaolin Temple is designed and constructed on the original site. Inside the hall, there are three Buddha statues, with Shakyamuni in the center representing the Saha World, and Manjusri and Samantabhadra as attendants, collectively known as the "Three Holy Ones of Huayan"; on the left is the Medicine Buddha representing the Eastern Pure Land, with Suryaprabha and Candraprabha as attendants; on the right is Amitabha representing the Western Pure Land, with Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta as attendants, collectively known as the "Three Holy Ones of the Western Pure Land".
Sanhuangzhai Scenic Area
Located at the foot of the western side of Mount Song in Shaoshi, it is adjacent to Shaolin Temple Scenic Area and belongs to the Shaolin Temple Scenic Area. Sanhuangzhai has a unique ecological and natural environment and geological landforms. It is famous for its unique peaks, dangerous roads, strange rocks, and beautiful scenery. Xu Xiake, a prominent traveler in the Ming Dynasty, once wrote a poem: "Mount Song is a hidden treasure of the world, Shaoshi is uniquely dangerous. Not visiting Sanhuangzhai is not truly experiencing Shaolin."
Shaolin Temple Martial Arts Hall
Shaolin Martial Arts Museum is located about 700 meters east of Shaolin Temple. Every day, there are fixed martial arts performances, usually one show per hour, with each show lasting for half an hour. There are two types of martial arts performances. One is an outdoor performance, conducted by students from the local martial arts school. The other is held at the Shaolin Martial Arts Museum, which is the only venue in Songshan Shaolin Scenic Area dedicated to showcasing Shaolin Kung Fu.
