CN-1706613 The Pagoda Forest (塔林) near the Shaolin Temple (少林寺) in Henan province, China

This postcard from Tang (17 August 2015) is inscribed “嵩山, 少林寺” (Song Mountains, Shaolin Temple).  It actually shows the Pagoda Forest (塔林)which is about half a kilometre away from the Shaolin Temple.

Shaolin Temple and the Pagoda Forest were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010 as part of the "Historic Monuments of Dengfeng."

Brief notes about the Shaolin Temple

The Shaolin Temple (少林寺) is a Buddhist temple in Dengfeng county, Zhengzhou, Henan province, China. The name refers to the forests (林) of Shaoshi (少室) mountain, one of the seven peaks of Song mountains (嵩山). Dating back 1,500 years, Shaolin Temple is the main temple of the Shaolin school of Buddhism to this day.

Brief notes about the Pagoda Forest

The Pagoda Forest refers to a number of stone or brick pagodas built from 791 AD during the Tang Dynasty through the Song Dynasty, Yuan Dynasty, Ming Dynasty, and Qing Dynasty.

Most of the Pagoda Forest is stone and brick structures, ranging from one to seven storeys, less than fifteen meters high.  They are much smaller than pagodas for Buddhist relics and all carry the exact year of their construction and many carvings and inscriptions. The pagodas are in a variety of styles, but are mainly multi-eaved and of pavilion-style. Their shapes are varied, including polygonal, cylindrical, vase, conical and monolithic, making the pagoda forest an exhibition of ancient pagodas, carvings and calligraphy of various dynasties.