In the vicinity of ancient temples there are often groups of pagodas, called pagoda forests. They are the tombs of eminent monks who had lived and died in the nearby temple. Sometimes there are a few, sometimes dozens, sometimes hundreds of such tomb pagodas.
The older and greater the temple, the larger the pagoda forest. The value of pagoda forests is not only in the number of pagodas but also in the various styles within the same group. A pagoda forest is like a museum, representing the different styles and engineering techniques of different eras. A pagoda forest also provides examples of different stages in the development of pagoda construction.
There are hundreds of pagoda forests in China. The most famous are at Shaolin Temple and Fawang Temple in Dengfeng and Fengxue Temple in Ruzhou, Henan Province; at Foguang Temple on Mount Wutai and Qiyan, Temple in Yongji, Shanxi Province: at Shentong Temple and Lingyan Temple in Licheng, Shandong Province.
