The Yugong Pagoda is a hexagon brick pagoda of seven floors standing at the center of the Pagoda Forest. Yugong refers to Fuyu, the most famous abbot of the Shaolin Temple in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 A.D.), the only monk being titled Duke after death. For his great contribution to the resurgence of the Shaolin Temple which could almost match the founder, a stele inscribed “Great Founder” was set up in front of the pagoda on his tomb.

    Qianfo Hall (Hall of One Thousand Buddhas) is located at the back of the temple, 7-rooms in width and 3 in depth. White jade statue of Sakyamuni and bonze statue of Buddha Vairocara made in the Ming Dynasty are worshiped in the shrine at the very center of the Hall. On the east wall, the west wall and the back wall is the color fresco of 500 arhats making a pilgrimage to Buddha Vairocara painted in the Ming Dynasty. The top layer of the fresco is painted with peaks over peaks, the middle layer with sea of clouds, the bottom layer with rolling waves. The arhats in the fresco are vivid in various poses, chatting, worshiping, or showing their powers. With clear outline, vigorous lines, fluent painting and precise structure, it is a rare treasure among Chinese frescos. The 48 pits called “zhanzhuang” on the brick floor of the hall came out of long-term foot stamping practices of those Shaolin monks with profound kung fu powers.

    The Pagoda Forest, about 500 meters west of the Changzhu Yard, is the cemetery of monks of all generations of Shaolin Temple. Dignitary monks of the Shaolin Temple were buried here with a pagoda established on the top of the tomb to show their merits and virtues. Composed of more than 240 brick or stone pagodas built in the Tang, Song, Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, the Pagoda Forest is the largest ancient pagoda groups in China. The height, size, shape and the floor numbers of pagodas vary from monk to monk, based on their Buddhist status, cultivation, the number of his followers and the financial condition of the temple in a certain period.
    Pagodas here have one to seven floors, 15 meters being the maximum in height, often with inscriptions. Various in shapes from squares to hexagons, from columns to cones; different in materials and structures from a whole stone to layers of bricks, they are peculiar with great diversification, making an art museum of ancient pagodas. Besides being a tour attraction, the Pagoda Forest is much valuable in the study of ancient Chinese stone or brick architecture, sculpture, calligraphy, art and religion.

    The Forest of Steles in the Shaolin Temple consists of more than 20 stone monuments of various dynasties. Some of those famous inscriptions were written by Japan monks in the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 A.D.), the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.) and the modern age. Stele Corridor, a large establishment in the form of a long corridor in the Ciyun Hall on the east side of the paved path leading to the main hall, has more than 100 steles with inscriptions from the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.) to the Qing Dynasty (1636-1912 A.D.), many of which are very famous and valuable. A monument among them was set up in 1980 by Zong Daochen, a former monk of the Shaolin Temple in the 1930s and later went back to Japan and became the founder and leader of Japanese Shaolin Kung fu Allies which has one million members today. Zong Daochen has visited China five times.

    Dozens of meters away from the top of the Wuru Peaks, there is a natural stone cave, 5 meters in depth and 3 in width, named “Dharma Cave”, where Dharma had spent nine years sitting in meditation, facing the wall, as the legend goes. It is said that out of long-term sitting, the shadow of Dharma was cast onto the wall of the cave and left a vivid image of a figure there, even with the pleats of clothes vaguely seen, like a light Chinese painting. The stone bearing the shadow image, called the Dharma Shadow Stone, was later dug out to be cherished in the Shaolin Temple by monks of later generations for fear of possible damages.