Beijing, Aug 4 (IANS): More Chinese monks are being exposed as fake following a sex scandal involving a Shaolin temple abbot, a media report said on Tuesday.

Shi Yongxin, the abbot of a Shaolin temple in Henan, was accused by a self-proclaimed follower on July 25 that he had sexual relations with many women and had illegitimate children, the Global Times reported.

The scandal escalated after the whistle-blower disclosed that Shi was expelled from the temple in 1988 and revealed the identity of a woman who is allegedly the mother of his illegitimate child.

Amid heated discussion about Shi, another revered monk in Wenzhou in Zhejiang province has been hit by a scandal after his son's ex-girlfriend exposed that he was a fake monk and led a luxurious life.

Further investigation by the Guangdong-based newspaper Southern Weekly found that similar fake monks existed across the country.

A Hangzhou-based lawyer alleged he was facing trouble after uncovering underground business conducted by "fake Buddhists" at a temple in Zhejiang province.