![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmTh7gQMpe1XBnWTqRtTH5nQHafsDqMWD5AFjW6JfEFZUs/image.png)Bodhidharma was born in the 5th century and was the son of a Pallava King, who ruled a huge swathe of southern India at the time. Pallava HQ was Kanchipuram, while nearby Mahabalapuram was a major port from where Bodhidharma most probably set sail for China. The latter is a relatively laid-back seaside town with a collection of impressive archaeological sites, including a very picturesque temple just by the seashore, while Kanchipuram, an hour and a half’s drive inland from Chennai, also a treasure trove of architectural wonders, is a bit harder work as far as appreciating the more subtle nuances of the aesthetics is concerned. The town is home to a number of classic Tamil temples built in the traditional pyramid style and teeming with sculptures and wall reliefs at every turn, but these gems are now surrounded by the boxy concrete utilitarianism of more recent times, which serves to reinforce and protect the ancient architecture against the crowds but does little to preserve the delicacy and mystery of the intricate buildings.![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmNtPYbYcqgovBvYuoFJivmi7y4HCGUAyR28spfGMxs9xC/image.png) Bodhidharma was a Kung Fu expert and medicine man that went to China in order to cure the locals of some horrid Ebola-like disease they were all dying from. Once there, he engaged in battle with lots of baddies, displaying gravity-defying martial arts skills that would make Bruce Lee and the Wachowski siblings blush, as well as incredible powers of hypnotism and healing![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmVpZkHLyHzcDUP6jjafuFoxmvBFh3YBVhUyxNuvfGtZNd/image.png)The story goes that the Chinese like BD so much that they decided to poison him in order to be able to bury him in Chinese soil, so that his magical legacy will stay in China forever. He discovers his hosts’ plot and consents to the execution, out of sheer goodwill. [](https://steemitimages.com/DQmb8MqwCYMefm315aqgijDQiCPerhvPvcaDJkfHhJJP7KX/image.png)![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmb8MqwCYMefm315aqgijDQiCPerhvPvcaDJkfHhJJP7KX/image.png) Father of the Asian Martial Arts![](https://steemitimages.com/DQmPLSbAuPGHgoJPmZ1vCCLpTwvPLiQEjKsqiC665YDDSV9/image.png)