Bodhidharma, or Damo, is the first patriarch of Zen Buddhism, also known as Chan Buddhism. Damo is also known as a monk of the Shaolin Monastery and some sources indicate that he took part in the construction of the monastery. Bodhidharma was born in the "city of a thousand gopurams" of Kanchipuram, an Indian religious center. According to legend, Bodhidharma arrived in China in 475 CE and settled in the newly founded Shaolin Monastery on Mount Songshan. Contrary to popular belief, Damo was neither the founder of the Shaolin Monastery nor its builder. However, he made a significant contribution to the development of this community: he taught the monks a set of exercises later called Bodhidharma qigong, and also actively developed the ideas of Zen Buddhism and taught students.