It is well known that in ancient times, cultural phenomena spread along the India–China–Korea–Japan route. Along this path, these phenomena became increasingly mythologized and sacralized, while their original meanings were gradually lost. Religious teachings evolved into philosophical schools (a process that also took place in India itself), and cultural practices were transformed and developed, most often from the aesthetic point of view.

Martial arts are traditionally believed to have originated in India and to have been brought to China by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. Every legend, however, conceals complex historical and cultural processes, presenting them as a single, simple, and accessible story. Of course, no individual monk brought a fully developed martial art or even Buddhism itself to China. The spread of Buddhism did not occur primarily through ascetics and missionaries, but through the role that this religion played as a state-forming ideology. During periods of Buddhist dominance, rulers seeking legitimacy in the eyes of their people and neighboring states often adopted Buddhism as their state religion. The court of such a ruler immediately received a whole “package” of tools for state administration: a financial system, a governmental structure, diplomatic relations with other Buddhist rulers through monastic intermediaries, and much more, including court culture itself.

One of the entertainments of Indian rulers was watching fights between wild animals: elephants, lions, tigers, and so on. But what if such spectacles became boring? What if one wanted to see, for example, a fight between a horse and a boar, a snake and a bird, or even a praying mantis? Performers came to the rescue, imitating the movements of these animals and recreating their battles. It was this tradition that reached China together with the spread of Buddhism.

Naturally, the selection of animals changed according to local realities. In India, the animals included snake, bird (such as peacock or rooster), wild boar (an important mythological symbol), elephant or horse (rather exotic animal in ancient India), as well as lion or tiger.

Until relatively recently, “animal” styles survived in South India, although in a greatly reduced form. Unfortunately, no one showed much interest in collecting and preserving them in a more or less complete form.

The attached video shows the “snake style”.