Hinduism in China

Twenty-one of the devas in the group consists of deities borrowed from Hinduism, including, but not limited to, Dàzìzàitiān (Shiva), Dìshìtiān (Indra), Dàfàntiān (Brahma), Jíxiáng Tiānnǚ (Lakshmi), Biàncáitiān (Saraswati) and Yánmóluówáng (Yama).

For example, Mǎtóu Guānyīn (馬頭觀音) is a manifestation of the Bodhisattva Guanyin who takes the form of the horse-headed god Hayagriva.

[11] In another example, the deva or bodhisattva Mólìzhītiān (摩利支天), known in English as Mārīcī, is also identified with Cundi and with Mahēśvarī, the consort of Maheśvara, and therefore also has the title Mātrikā (佛母 Fo mǔ), Mother of the Myriad Buddhas.

[11] Many legends and stories in Chinese folk religion, such as Nezha, have been traced to Hindu mythology,[12] such as through the 10th century translations of Tianxizai.

Arthur Waley (1889-1996) while translating Tao Te Ching (The Way and Its Power) commented:[14] "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."

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).

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.

However, from 1977 onwards, the government eased their restrictions on religion as the Constitution of the People's Republic of China was signed and many of the Chinese were allowed to practice their religious and personal beliefs once again.

A huge piece of land was earmarked in Foshan in 2007, which is intended to not only house the temple but also be home to an Indian cultural centre.

[29][30] The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), a major Gaudiya Vaishnava institution worldwide, has a center in Hong Kong, established there in 1981.

[5][33] The evidence consists of a Tamil-Chinese bilingual inscription dated April 1281 AD, devoted to the deity Śiva, as well as over 300 artifacts, idols and Chola-style temple structures discovered in Fujian province since 1933.

However, there previously existed a Tamil Hindu community in the city who, in the late 13th century, built the Kaiyuan Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.

[35] 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.