Shiva worshipped in Ancient China
Civilizations of ancient China and India have a long history of interaction. The links between these two ancient civilizations were numerous and were sustained for thousands of years. The Chinese tell of a tradition in “Schuking” in which it is stated that the ancestors of the Chinese people came to China after crossing the high mountain ranges to the South.
Shiva and Parvati in Kizil Caves, Xinjiang, China 6th century
The original Chin race of India dwelling in Kashmir, and several parts of South India colonized Shensi, a province of Central China and subsequently subjugated all other petty kingdoms and thus became the emperors of perhaps the one of the largest empires of the world. The name China and the Chinese were after the Chins of India and hence the scholars are unanimous about the Indian origin of the name of China. The word/race of Chins as rulers of eastern and northern kingdoms is mentioned in Mahabharata too (composed around 3100 BCE). Cinas of yellow color, are said to ‘look like a forest of Karnikaras”. In the Arthashashtra of Chanakya, China is mentioned as well. It is theorized that the name China is based upon the name of the kingdom, Ch’in, which was established by Shih Huang Ti in year 221 BC. However, the name China comes from an ancient Sanskrit name for “the regions to the East”. The Chin Indians did not only name a great country but also created the Chinese nation.
Regardless of the origins of the Chinese, the evidence reveals that ancient Chinese culture was Vedic in nature. The Vedic tradition has undoubtedly been best preserved in India yet the universality of Vedic culture is such that none can claim to be the sole inheritors or originators of the Vedic traditions. These traditions are part of the basic fabric of nature and the universe and can be accessed by anyone anywhere at any time.
The same ‘eternal’ vedic tradition known as Santana Dharma is at the very core of Chinese civilization.
For example, Imperial Tang dynasty (618–907 AD) used the Hindu/Vedic calendar a long side with the Chinese calendar. Amongst the Gods, the Lord of Death and the Underworld known in Vedas as Yama is called ‘Yanmo Wang’ within the Chinese tradition.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang (ruled 712–56) called upon the Indian monk Vajrabodhi (671–741) to perform ‘Tantric’ rites to avert a drought in the year 726 AD. In the Fujiyan province, in the Xinmen area of Quanzhou, there are the remains of a Siva Temple. It still has a Siva lingam over five meters tall. An ancient stone that still stands today; it has been widely identified as a Siva Linga. Chinese records reveal that it was cut in half in the year 1011 AD and then rebuilt in the 1400s. Even as late as 1950, childless mothers would go to it to invoke the blessings of the deity for motherhood.
In Hsuan-wu, Lo-yang district there is a pillar with Sanskrit writings from top to bottom and right to left. Besides Buddhism, Saivism was also popular in Yunan as is manifest from the prevalence of the cult of Mahakala there. This ancient Indian colony in the south of China was a strong link in the Sino-Indian cultural relationship.
Shiva Temple may have already been in existence, which is highly likely, and it is only the Deity of Lord Shiva that was new. Shiva temple had originally been built in 685 AD during the Tang Dynasty but was rebuilt by the Tamil Hindu community in the city in the late 13th century who dedicated it to Lord Siva. There is direct evidence of that there were indeed Hindu temples in China as early as the 6th century AD. A Chinese source states that in 720 AD the Pallava King Narasimhavarman II constructed a temple (in Tamil Nadu, India) on account of the empire of China, and another text cites the existence of three Hindu temples in southern China where ‘Brahmans’ resided during the 8th century.
The temple in Quanzhou is now in ruins, but over 300 carvings are still within the city. Many are currently on display in the Quanzhou museum, and some have become a part of Buddhist temple—Kaiyuan Temple.Behind its main hall “Mahavira Hall”, there are some columns decorated by some Hinduism carvings. The carvings are dispersed across five primary sites in Quanzhou and the neighboring areas. They were made in the South Indian style, and share close similarities with 13th-century temples constructed in the Kaveri Delta region in Tamil Nadu. Nearly all the carvings were carved with greenish-gray granite, which was widely available in the nearby hills and used in the region’s local architecture. Poorly written/formatted tamil wordings on these carvings prove that those were done by a non-native tamilian in China.
Hinduism in China
7th-8th C. Hindu God Shiva from the buried Silk Road oasis trade and religious center called Dāndān Wū-lǐ-kè (in Chinese) - meaning "Houses of Ivory." Taklamakan Desert, Xinjiang, China
Hinduism (specifically Shaivism) is currently practiced by a minority of residents of China. The religion itself has a very limited presence in modern mainland China, but archaeological evidence suggests a significant presence of Hinduism in different provinces of medieval China.Hindu influences were also absorbed in the country through the spread of Buddhism over its history.Practices originating in the Vedic tradition of ancient India such as yoga and meditation are also popular in China. Some indigenous people in China, pray to Hindu gods such as Shiva, Vishnu, Ganesha and Kali.
Hindu community, particularly through Tamil merchant guilds of Ayyavole and Manigramam, once thrived in medieval south China.]Evidence of Tamil siva motifs and temples, such as in the Kaiyuan temple, continue to be discovered in Quanzhou, Fujian, a province of southeast China. A small community of Tamil immigrant workers currently exists in Hong Kong.
History
Arthur Waley (1889-1996) while translating Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power) commented:
"I see no reason to doubt, that the 'holy mountain-men' (sheng-hsien) described by Lieh Tzu are Indian Rishi; and when we read in Chuang Tzu of certain Taoists who practiced movements very similar to the asanas of Hindu yoga, it is at least a possibility that some knowledge of the yoga technique which these Rishi used had also drifted into China."
Also, Arnold Hermann Ludwig Heeren (1760-1842) observes that
"the name China is of Hindu origin and came to us from India."
Some examples of influence by Hinduism on ancient Chinese religion included the belief of "six schools" or "six doctrines" as well as use of Yoga, stupas (later became pagoda in East Asia). However, in China, Hinduism has never gained much popularity, unlike the beliefs of Buddhism and Confucianism. There were exceptions, such as in parts of Tibet.
There was a small Hindu community in China, mostly situated in southeastern China. A late thirteenth-century bilingual Tamil and Chinese-language inscription has been found associated with the remains of a Siva temple of Quanzhou. This was one of possibly two south Indian-style Hindu temples (115) that must have been built in the southeastern sector of the old port, where the foreign traders' enclave was formerly located.
The Four Heavenly Kings originated from the Lokapālas. Hanuman is believed by some scholars to be a source for the Chinese mythological character Sun Wukong.
The Yaksha (Chinese: 夜叉) originally from Hindu history, are a class of nature ghosts or demons. Belief in the Yaksha made its way to China through the Lotus Sutra, which was originally translated into Chinese by Dharmaraksa around 290 CE, before being superseded by a translation in seven fascicles by Kumārajīva in 406 CE.
Many legends and stories in Chinese folk religion, such as Nezha, have been traced to Hindu mythology, such as through the 10th century translations of Tianxizai. During this influence and synthesis of ideas, some terms were mapped into pre-existing concepts - raksasas as luocha, others terms were introduced - pisacas in Hinduism as pishezuo in Chinese.
Regions of influence
The Chinese texts from the 2nd through the 12th centuries AD suggest some 150 scholars focused on translating various Hindu Sanskrittexts into Chinese. Vedas were referred to as ming-lun' (science of knowledge) or zhi-lun (science of intelligence). Ancient Chinese scholars also translated various other Samhitasand ShastrasSome Sanskrit texts whose original and all translations have been lost in India, have been located in China - for example, Jin Qi Shi Lun is a surviving translation of Sankhya-Karika. Another example of influential translations is credited to Yijing's translation of hymns from Harivamsa from 1st to 3rd century AD, which is well known account of god Krishna and an appendix to the Hindu Epic Mahabharata. Yijing translated few Harivamsa hymns meant for goddess Durga, but associated them with goddess Sarasvati. This Hindu concept of a goddess of knowledge, music, arts and inner power became fused with elements of a goddess with militant power, which then became known as Chinese Biàncáitiān, and from there diffused to Japan as goddess Benzaiten (辯才天) - whose temples are still found and remain in use in Japan.
Ancient Hindu Sanskrit inscriptions, a language typically not used to spread Buddhism in China, have also been found in Yunnan province. These inscriptions are at least from medieval era; however, it remains unclear how and when they arrived or were adopted in China.
Shiva temple in China
Ancient ruins of Big Dipper Temple found in central China
Kublai Khan the founder of Yuvan dynasty of China constructed a Shiva temple in China .There is an inscription referring to this in the temple. The most interesting part is this inscription is bilingual and has both Tamil and Chinese scripts . The last line of the inscription is in Chinese . Quanzhou is a port city in China . This city had lot of trade relations with ancient Tamil kings . It is believed the Siva temple at Quanzhou was raised for the well being of Mangolian king Kublai Khan . Kublai Khan was also known as Sekasai Khan. Kublai Khan was the grandson of Chenkiz Khan .It is reported Kublai Khan built Beijing city and moved the capital to Beijing . The Quanzhou Siva temple was known as Thirukathaleswaram in Tamil and Lord Shiva was known as Thirkathaleswaran. This is mentioned in the Tamil-Chinese epigraph stone . This temple was built by Kublai Khan in 1260 AD. This inscription is still available in the temple . It is believed there were more than a dozen Hindu temples in China .It is also believed a community of Tamil Traders lived in this Chinese port city during during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties. In the Chedian village of Quanzhou there is a “cross-legged” “four-armed goddess” with a ”demon lying at her feet.” She is not a Chinese Goddess, ' “Even though most of the villagers still think she is Guanyin”. Whatever it is, there existed some connection between Tamils and Chinese in ancient days . Even Bodhidarma was believed to be a Pallava king migrated to China .Ms Wang of the Quanzhou Maritime Museum says the earliest record of a Tamil residing in Quanzhou dates back to the 6th century. Kaiyuan Temple was originally built in 685 or 686 during the Tang Dynasty but was rebuilt by the Tamil Hindu community in the city in the late 13th century who dedicated it to Lord Shiva.It is believed because the Chola kings had thriving trade relations with South East Asis ,even Bay of Bengal was known as 'Chola Lake' at that time.
Bogar the legendary Sidhar who made the 'navabhashana idol' of Lord Muruga of Palani temple is also believed to have visited China as per the wishes of his guru to spread the knowledge of Siddha science . Bogar's Teacher Kalangi is believed to be a Chinese mystic who attained siddhi in Tamilnadu and is included in the list of 18 Sidhdhars . Bogar attained Sidhdhi in Palani temple . There is another school of thought who believe Chinese Lao Tse and Bogar are one person . Some otheres believe Bogar because of his ashtamaha siddhi lived in the body of Lao Tse . But Bogars Saptakanda had documented the experiments and demonstrations conducted by Bogar in China . Thirumoolar and Agasthiar have also mentioned about 'navabashanam' ( (A mixture of nine posions prepared from 4448 herbs ) as a panacea for all diseases. Thirumoolar and Agasthiar were also Alchemists like Bogar. Bogar was an expert in medicine, astrology, spritiuality and yoga .It is also reported Bogar's desciple Pulipani Siddhar helped Bogar to collect the rare herbs for preparing Navabhashanam .Pulipani is also believed to have visited China later to bring back his Guru Bogar to India . Bogar has written about 16 documents in Tamil giving details about various techniques practiced by him . But Agasthiyar has mentioned in one of his works that Bogar was a Chinese alchemist . But it is an undisputed fact that Bogar made the navabhashana Lord Muruga idol at Palani temple and Bogar attained sidhdhi at Palani.It is believed Bogar made 2 navabashana Murugan idols and the second one is at Poomparai Kuzhanthai Velappar temple near Kodaikanal in the Palani hills .This temple is also administered by the Palani temple . This temple is also believed to be very ancient . There is a temple dedicated to Bogar's teacher Kalangi at Kanchamali in Salem district.
Related Articles :
Krishna, Vishnu and Mahabharat influence on Ancient China
Vedic (Hinduism) Influence in Ancient Europe (Italy, Greece, Russia)
Indra in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Zoroastrian, Europe, Bali
Neptune Greek God Poseidon is similar to Vedic God, Siva
Vedic (Hinduism) Influence in Ancient Egypt
https://www.booksfact.com/religions/siva-worshipped-in-ancient-china.html
http://outshine-ga-ga.blogspot.com/2013/09/shiva-temple-in-china.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism_in_China