Discovering Gyeongsangbuk-do – Gyeongju-si Part 2

Like I promised, today I’m going to tell you you about Gyeongju’s Historic Areas which served as the capital of the Silla Kingdom, and which had dominated the Korean Peninsula for more than a thousand years. It contains a great number of remains and monuments that are significant to the development of Korean architectural buildings and Buddhism in the neighborhood of Gyeongju, including Mount Namsan.

Before I go on, I’d better warn  you that there are over 50 sites spread out over the five main regions  in Geongju, namely the Mount Namsan District, the Wolseong District, the Daereungwon District, the Hwangryongsa District, and the Sanseong District, of which there are about 39 in the Namsan District alone. So I tell you what I’m going to do, I shall tell you all about the sites in Namsan first and leave the others for my following posts, OK? So today I shall try to fit in as many of the sites as possible in the Namsan District so that you can make a list of the places you want to see and skip the rest that you are not interested in. It’ll save you time and money and also make your visit to Geongju a more pleasant one. It’s definite that all of you cannot visit all the 50 or so sites but at least you can visit the places that you are interested in.

Gyeongju is one of the places that best preserves the traditional side of modern Korea. The Gyeongju Historic Areas encompass ruins and cultural artifacts of royal families and Buddhist culture during the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.- A.D. 935). Because of their historical significance, they were designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2000.

The areas can largely be divided into five parts, depending on the nature of the clustered ruins. The Mount Namsan Belt presents artifacts related to the prehistoric and Silla's Buddhist eras.  Buddhism was introduced in Korea during the fourth century and during the sixth century in Silla. Over 120 temples and 60 pagodas are found in Mount Namsan. The various images carved into the rocks show the progress and maturation of Silla's Buddhism and its artistry.
Mt.Namsan District

• Gyeongju Namsanseong (Namsanseong Fortress in Gyeongju)
• The Soch'ulji Pond (Letter-Appearing Pond)
• Backundae Ma-aebul Ipsang(Standing stone Buddha in Backundae)
• Stone Gamsil (Alcove) of Namsan-dong
• Najeong
• Poseokjeong
• Royal Tomb of King Naemul of Silla
• Royal Tomb of King Gyeongae
• Royal Tomb of King Jima
• The Tomb of King Hongang

The Gyeongju Namsanseong (Namsanseong Fortress in Gyeongju) together with the Myeonghwalsanseong Fortress and the Seohyeongsanseong Fortress, was an important castle in the defense of Gyeongju, the capital of Silla. It was made by connecting valleys and relatively low mountain peaks on Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju, which is positioned in a place where one can openly look down on the Gyeongju plains and the Banwolseong Royal Palace.

The Samguk Sagi (the History of the Three Kingdoms) records that this fortress was built on a large scale in the 13th year of King Jinpyeong’s reign (591) and the third year of King Munmu’s reign (663) of Silla. The remaining figures, which are piled up in several steps and have trimmed stones as supporting stones at the bottom, are seen in several places. Ten monuments

According to the Samguk Yusa (the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), two large warehouses were built in the Fortress to keep weapons and provisions. Today, however, there are three warehouse sites. As a fortress that guarded Silla’s capital, it has tremendous historical value.



With lotus flowers and Indian lilacs blossoming in summer,  the Seochulji Pond displays a very spectacular scenery. Seochulji pond and Arakdang Pavilion are favorite sightseeing spots in Namsan village. The pond dates from the Silla era (668-935) and figures prominently in an old legend recorded in the Samguk Yusa "Additional Materials of the Three Kingdoms" written in 1285 by the monk Iryon. The legend goes like this.

One day the King of Silla was having a royal banquet in Namsan village. During the festivities, his wife became ill and returned to the palace. The king's chief physician, a Buddhist priest, asked to return to the palace to help treat the queen. The king readily agreed.

Later in the day, the king was startled by a flock of crows flying from Seochulji pond. Deeply troubled by the dark omen, the king left his entourage and headed for the pond. There he discovered an old man standing by the side of the lake. As the king approached, the man handed him a letter inscribed with the following words

“Unopened one will die, opened two will die”

Very afraid, the King scrambled back to his picnic and summoned the court astrologer. After examining the letter, the astrologer recommended that the king open the letter. When the king protested, the astrologer warned that he suspected the one to die was probably the king. The king agreed with his assessment and decided to open the letter. Inside he found another message that instructed him to return to the queen's bedchamber and "fire an arrow into the clothes closet.

The king rushed home and found his queen lying naked in her bed. Clothes were strewn all about the floor. Hearing rustling behind the clothes closet, the king fired his arrow and a man cried out, falling forward. The king realized it was the Buddhist monk who was attending to the queen. They had been having an affair, and the queen's illness was merely a ruse designed to bring them together

The next day the lovers were bound and strangled, fulfilling the prophecy that "opened two will die." If the king had not opened the letter, the lovers would have killed him one day and seized power for themselves

Perhaps recalling this ancient legend, the local yangban nobles built Arakdang pavilion in 1664. It is a graceful structure that cantilevers out over the water. In the summer months the lake is abloom with lotus flowers that cover virtually the entire surface of the water. A path runs around the lake that is very popular with the locals

Visitors are not allowed inside the pavilion for the sake of preservation.



 
The Baekundaemaaeburipsang(Relief of Standing Buddha at Baegundae) Tangible Cultural Properties #206 has a large bald head with a huge top knot carved on it. The two modern-shaped ears are long and stretching out. It has an expressionless face, half-open eyes, a large nose coming down from its eyebrows, and firmly closed lips. Three wrinkles are engraved on its neck but the clothes are not carved. The palm of its right hand is shown and fingers are turning upwards while all fingers of its left hand are turning downwards .

This statue is 4.6m tall, or about 16 ja (unit of length), the Chinese Tang Dynasty’s unit of measurement, widely used during the unified Silla era. This statue is presumed to be a Buddhist statue (Jangyuk Bulsang). It is being evaluated as the important piece that shows the process of carving the Buddhist way.Buddhist statue was carved by coarsely digging a huge rock surface in halo type, on the rock wall of Mt. Maseoksan that faces Gowibong, the highest peak of Mt. Namsan in

 
The natural environment of Silla was not compatible for creating a stone cave. Nonetheless, there seems to have been endless attempts to build stone caves similar to those in India and China. The Seated Stone Buddha statue of Buddha Valley and Sokkuram (Stone Cave Hermitage) are a few examples of those. With only a little difference to those of stone caves as in the Seated Stone Buddha statue of the Buddha Valley and Sokkuram, Gamsil (alcove) can be considered to be of the same kind. Although it is not clear what kind of a Buddha statue used to be held here, it was built by laying and putting together square and flat stones.

 
About 500m from Oreung is located the tomb of King Park Hyeokgeose, the first king of Silla. Six village heads discovered Park Hyeokgeose in Najeong.
Through recent excavations (2002~2006), an octagonal stylobate building site from the 5th to 6th centuries was discovered around the monument house, along with the remnants of a small circular building from the early Iron Age.

Furthermore, sites of what used to be wells from the Silla era were separately found in the central part of the two buildings. From these discoveries, the actual positions of the wells may be deduced, along with the fact that Silla people built these buildings for religious purposes.

Although there are more things to be discovered between the myths about Najeong and its historical truth, this place should be considered a very important spot as it represents a historic site from Silla’s early period along with the neighboring Changrimsaji, which is known as the site of a palace from Silla. Moreover, Najeong is said to have been the birthplace of Park Hyeokgeose.



People say that Silla’s history starts and ends in Mt. Namsan. It is because the Najeong and the Poseokjeong are in Mt. Namsan; Park Hyeokgeose, the founder of Silla, was born, in Najeong, and the 55th King Gyeongae of Silla was finally caught by Gyeon-Hwon in Poseokjeong. Moreover, there is also the Yangsanjae, which was used for religious services dedicated to the six village heads, who had been the founders before Park Hyeokgeose established the country. There is also the Changrimsa Temple, which was the site of Silla’s first palace, and Oreung, the royal tombs from early Silla. The Poseokjeong region is said to have been a detached palace where kings used to stay during a trip. At the moment, there remains only the meandering-shaped stone structure. About this structure, it is said that a wine glass would turn and flow along the watercourse once the wind glass floated on the water. This stone structure resembles a crooked abalone, and the pavilion that used to be here was called Poseokjeong.
It is not known when the Poseokjeong was built, but it is said that the 49th King Heongang (875~886) held a banquet here with his vassals, and a story says that the 55th King Gyeongae (924~ 927) was scared out of his wits when Gyeon-Hwon raided this place while the King was enjoying song and dance performances.
However, in recent years, a question arose: “How could the King play to his heart’s content in November of the lunar calendar, in such a cold season, during Gyeon-Hwon’s raid?” Thus, there is an opinion that the Poseokjeong might have been a place dedicated to the memory of those who died for Silla, instead of serving as a mere playground for royalty.

A turtle-shaped stone originally existed in the place where water flowed, but an unconfirmed hearsay states that someone relocated this stone to Andong in the late 19th century.

A tile carved with the beautiful composition called Poseok was discovered here, raising the possibility that a building used to stand here.

  

The Sillanaemulwangneung(Royal tomb of King Naemul of Silla), belongs to the 17th King Naemul (356-402) of Silla. It is located south of Daereungwon (a royal tomb garden) and near Wolseong.

It is a circular ground mound made of piled-up soil with a bottom girth of 68 m, a height of 5.8 m, and a diameter of 22 m. Relatively large stones protrude from the bottom girth, and stone stacks are slightly exposed under the cut-off mound.
King Naemul was the second king from the Kim clan. Since King Naemul’s reign, only members of the Kim family have acceded to the throne.

King Naemul made great efforts to promote diplomacy and national defense by accepting the Chinese civilization and defeating the Japanese invaders. He established the system of an ancient country.

The Samguk Yusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) records that this royal tomb of King Naemul is located on the southeastern side of the Cheomseongdae Observatory.

The 55th King Gyeongae was captured in Poseokjeong by Gyeon-Hwon, the king of the post-Baekje kingdom, and was forced to kill himself. His queen and court ladies were then made hostages. Moreover, he ruled for only four years. One who lays his eyes on this small, plain mound will most likely think that the life of the king during such a period, when the kingdom was in shambles, must have been very hard.
There is an opinion that this tomb belongs to a close kin of the owners of Samneung (all their family names were “Park,” the same as King Gyeongae’s), and that the Sillailseongwangneung is actually that of King Gyeongae.
 

This is the tomb of King Jima (A.D.122~A.D.134) of the Silla Dynasty who saved his country from the attacks of foreign nations such as Gaya (a political community in Korea), Waegu (a pirate in Japan) Malgal (a tribe in Manchuria), etc.
He was the son of King Pasa having the Park surname. The shape of his tomb is a relatively big-sized circle located in Mt. Namsan especially at a high place with a deep angle of inclination.  The location, size and shape of this tomb  shows that this was not piled up in the early part of the Silla Dynasty.



Referring to the prosperity of Sorabol, the capital of the ancient Silla, records from Samgukyusa (‘Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms’) reveal that there were ‘178,936 houses’. It was during the reign of the 49th King, Hongang (875-886) when the country enjoyed its Golden Years. During the reign of King Hongang, Silla enjoyed the most peaceful reign so much so that people never stopped singing in the streets. It was King Hongang who paired Ch'oyong, son of the Dragon King of the East sea and beauty. Sillaheongangwangneung is a round grave mound thickly surrounded with pine trees, giving it a cozy feeling. The mound looks unique for its four layers of stones piled together around the bottom of the tomb to prevent it from collapsing. Inside the tomb where a room, the coffin and a connecting passageway is located, the internal structure and excavated remains reveal a style that had not been used since the 8th century. When considering the period of King Hongang’s rule, its style often raises controversy as to whether it truly is the grave of King Hongang. The reason why this gravesite was assumed to be King Hongang’s is because of the phrase in Samguksagi (‘The Historical Record of the Three Kingdoms’) which says, ‘The funeral took place in the southeastern direction of Porisa (Temple)’.

The Tomb of King Chonggang

Royal Tomb of King Ilseong

Samneung(Three tombs in Baeri)

Gyeongjubaeri Yuneulgok

Royal Tomb of King Ilseong

Samneung(Three tombs in Baeri)

Gyeongjubaeri Yuneulgok

Ma-ae Seokgayeoraejwasang in Samneung Valley

Yeolamgok Seokbuljwasang

Chimsikgok Seokbuljwasang

Royal Tomb of King Gyeongae

Seongak Yukjonbul in Samneung Valley

Ma-ae Gwaneumbosal Image in Samneung Valley

 
King Jeonggang was the second son of the 48th king, King Gyeongmun and the little brother of the 49th King Heongang, succeeding the throne as the 50th King of Silla (886-887). However, he reigned only for a year before he died from a disease. On his deathbed King Jeonggang said his last words, ‘Unfortunately I don’t have any offspring to succeed the throne. Therefore, I order my throne to be succeeded by my sister, Man, following the suit of Queen Seondeok and Queen Jindeok’. His sister, Man, was the 51st Queen Jinseong of Silla.
King Jeonggang's tomb is a circular grave mound surrounded by three layers of piled cut stones at the bottom of the perimeter in order to prevent the mound from collapsing. The bottom layer is projected slightly forward like ground stone, and the two upper stages are piled up slightly inward. Except for the stone-made small altar in front of the tomb, there is no additional decoration or stone statue. The way the tomb was piled up with an embankment at the bottom of the perimeter is very similar to that of King Heongang.

 
Probably, he did not leave any outstanding achievements for the descendants. As his tomb is not large, it is difficult to compare this tomb with other large-scale mounds in Gyeongju City. It is also unclear whether or not it really belonged to the 7th King Ilseong or if it perhaps belonged to the 55th King Gyeongae.

 
Large, small, thin, and thick pine trees meander as they please. Why are the pine trees of Gyeongju the only ones in the city that are winding? According to one opinion, this could be attributed to the Silla era, when more than 170,000 houses existed. To build such a city, a huge number of woods were probably needed, and as the people cut the large and straight pine trees for such purpose, only the small and bent ones eventually managed to survive for use by their descendants.

This place is more famous as a forest with such pine trees rather than as royal tombs. Particularly in spring, when the azaleas blossom among the pine trees, the place is filled with springtime picnickers. The three common-type mounds are said to belong to the 8th King Adala, the 53rd King Seongdeok, and the 54th King Gyeongmyeong, in that order. Samneunggok, one of the valleys in Mt. Namsan, starts from these three tombs (Samneung). There are more than 10 Buddhist statues therein, the biggest number of Buddhist statues that could be found in any of the various valleys in Mt. Namsan. Among these are a Buddhist statue leaning against a rock wall, a Buddhist statue whose outlines are shown on a rock, a sitting Buddhist statue, as if carved out of the rock, and a Buddhist statue’s headless body. A certain Buddhist statue even looks down while standing at the edge of the mountain. If Mt. Namsan were one large temple, Samneunggok may well be considered Cheonbuljeon (Buddhist palace).

 
Three Buddhist statues are carved on the two sides of the rocks bent in the shape of a sickle. The arrangement of the figures themselves is peculiar, and with a height of about 109.6m, Taehwagunyeon eulmyo is carved on the left side of a halo of the Bonjonbul statue. These are very precious Ma-aebul statues with known history. The Taehwagunyeon eulmyo corresponds to the 10th year (835) of King Heungdeok.

 
Sangseonam is a monk’s cell located at Mt. Namsan highest spot, and Ma-ae Seokgayeoraejwasang is the Buddhist statue that stands on the highest and largest rock in the whole of Sangseonam. Its head was carved in relief so it would be almost round, and its body was carved using linear carving methods.


A collapsed lotus-like seat, a headless Buddhist statue that has fallen on the floor, and a shattered Buddhist halo…these are the elements of Yeoramgok Seokbuljwasang. If reunited with its head, it will remind one of Mireukgok Borisa Seokbuljwasang, the most perfectly shaped statue in Mt. Namsan. Mt. Namsan still has many stone-made cultural properties, but many had been destroyed over time, through erosion or weathering. Even now, though, excavation works are continuously ongoing. Yeoramgok Seokbuljwasang Statue could be restored to its perfect shape as its missing head had been found in a recent excavation. The head, which was found in Yeoramgok Valley in October 2005, was adjudged to belong to this statue based on the results of the investigation that was conducted on it. Upon the completion of the statue’s restoration sometime soon, it is expected to have a perfect form and appearance, like Borisa Seokbuljwasang Statue.
In the May 2007 excavation, the 5.6-m Ma-ae Yeorae Ipsang, the third largest statue in Mt. Namsan, was discovered. It is one of the biggest attractions of the place.

 
It is Seokgayeoraejwasang with a Chokjihangmain-like shape (indicating a Buddha figure whose left hand is under its belly and whose right hand hangs all the way down to the bottom of its knee). Although it has no head, its postures are splendid and uninhibited. This Buddhist statue, sitting on a lotus-like pedestal with its legs crossed, is in a relatively well-preserved state.

 
Is it extending its hand to the visitors of Mt. Namsan, boasting dignified and majestic figures, to welcome them? It is the Buddhist statue with only an upper torso (the bottom torso is missing), a portion of a halo, and the left hand. The statue’s bottom torso and pedestal were recently found and were erected beside the statue proper.

 
The rock face may well be drawing paper, and an iron hammer and chisel smooth brushes. Each Samjonbul carved in the two rocks rising from the front and the back is unique. It may be more proper to call them drawings on the rock rather than sculptures. There are long grooves on the upper part of the rocks, which might have been carved to prevent rainwater from permeating the Buddhist statues. There is even a trace of roofs.

 
It seems that the Buddha was taken out of the rock by tapping the latter with a chisel several times. The figure of this Buddhist saint carved in high relief on a native rock is amazing. The Buddha’s right hand is on its chest, and a bottle could be found on its left hand, which makes it look softer in the sunlight, as if shy.

• Seokjo Yeoraejwasang in Samneung Valley
• Group of Buddhistic Images of T'apkok (Valley)
• Stone Buddha Relief Carving of Chilburam (Hermitage)
• Half-Seated Buddhist Saint Statue Carved on a Rock at Sinseonam
• Seated Stone Buddha Statue at the Buddha Valley
• Baeri Seokbul Ipsang Statues
• Three-Story Stone Pagoda at Namsan-ri
• Namgansaji
• Namgansaji Danggan Poles
• Tri-story stone pagoda at the Cheonryongsa Temple site

 
This seated statue of stone Buddha placed on the ridgeline of the Samneung Valley, also called Eoreumgol Valley, was made by carving the granite stone. There is a topknot-like Usnisa (protrusion on the top of Buddha's head) on the curled haired head. The face looks affluent and round. Both ears are expressed short.

The robe covers both the shoulders and the pleats are expressed simply and beautifully.The waist is narrow and the sitting stance is stable.
The pedestal consists of the top, middle and bottom and the top has the lotus pattern carved and the middle has the panel design briefly carved on each octagonal side.

The bottom is made up of simple octagonal stone. Considering the lotus flower pattern and the panel design carved on octagonal lotus pedestal and rigid and stable stance, it seems to have been made in the Unified Silla from 8th to 9th century.

 
There are about 50 valleys in Mt. Nam with numerous pagodas, Buddhist statues and temple sites. The group of Buddhist images of Tapgok (Valley) called ‘the Rock of Buddhism’ is the most interesting and unique remains among several relics in the mountain. This 10-meter high and 40-meter wide round Rock of Buddhism has a total of about 40 stone Buddhist statues that include a pagoda, a statue of Buddha statue, Nahan statue (Disciples of Buddha), Bodhisattva statue (Buddhist saint), Apsaras Statue (flying angel in Buddhism) and Saja statue (Lion).
People wondered if this rock is a ‘Mandala,’ which originally means a drawing of Buddha and a Buddhist saint, or symbolizes the completion of every sacred teaching of Buddha. Particularly in the northern side of the mountain, there are drawings of nine-story and seven-story pagodas. Their stereobate, bodies and stupa finial as well as the wind-bells with a fishlike clapper hanging by the angle rafter are very valuable resources that fully show the features of wooden pagodas in the era of Silla. Based on these drawings, we can surely assume how the nine-story-pagoda of Hwangnyongsa (Yellow Dragon Temple) looked like.


A stone cutter once passed by a high peak rock, pine trees and the blue sky. In front he saw a half-moon-shaped rock and one big stately imposing rock. He mulled over, started breaking the rocks with a graver And asked himself “How much time would it have passed?” On each side of the big stately imposing rock was Buddha settled, and on the behind rock was Buddha triad inscribed.
One step back, the peak rock and the pine trees in the background became a folding screen. A thousand years later, this site was called the ‘Ch'ilburam’ or ‘Seven Buddhas Hermitage,’ because there are seven Buddhas adding all Buddhist statues on the big rock and the front rock.

Is it for such keenness that there must be Buddha among seven Buddhist statues? The central Buddha stands with a commanding posture, a plump face, and a feature of dignity and mercy that is said to resemble that of Sokkuram (Stone Cave Hermitage). It is very rare to see such a big and commanding sculpture as the Borisa Maaeseokbul Carving of Chilburam (Hermitage) among the many remains in Mt. Nam.


With round Gamsil (alcove) following the slight cutting of the rock, the Gyeongju Namsan Chilburam Maaeseokbul was placed in it. The statue is sitting comfortably on the lotus pedestals, as if playing a game in the clouds.
What particularly make it look comfortable is because of its unique sitting posture. Unlike most of the cross-legged stone Buddha statues, this one has its right foot under the pedestal while its left foot is on the pedestal instead of placing it as far as on the knee. It has an excellent view enough to be called the best pick at Mt. Nam, overlooking Seokguram (Stone Cave Hermitage) and the city center of Gyeongju in the distance. As the sun rises from Daewangam (Great King Rock), the East sea lights up the colossal statue of Buddha at Seokguram.


Mt. Nam consists mainly of hard granite, which means it is difficult to build a stone Buddha statue out of it. On the other hand, Donghwang is famous for its 500 stone caves and 1,400 Buddha statues. Donghwang is primarily composed of sandstone, which makes it suitable for building stone cave temples.. Although it is much well-known for the term, ‘Gamsil’ which means alcove, rather than the term, ‘stone cave’ like a deep cave, a Buddhist statue in Gamsil looks as though it were an elderly ‘grandmother’ alongside a female-looking appearance looking downward look. It is the oldest Buddhist statue among those in Mt. Nam.


The Buddhist statues here exude delightful innocence. Even in the Gyeongju National Museum, there is a stone-made Samjonbul statue called Baby Buddha, which was excavated from Jangchanggok.
Art historians consider these two statues and a Bulgokseokbuljwasang commonly called Gamsil Buddha as the oldest of such sculptures in Mt. Namsan.
The statues, which were buried and scattered in the edges of Mt. Namsan, had been built here in 1923. These Buddha statues were crafted in such a way that their mysterious smiles would shift in nuance depending on the sunlight. The said smiles, however, can no longer be seen after the installation of protective caps.


Pagodas in the Silla Era typically had two identical Gyeongju Namsalli Samcheungseoktap (twin pagodas) to be placed in parallel in front of the Taeungjon (Main Hall enshrining Shakyamuni Buddha). However, the twin pagodas of Pulguksa Temple (Shakyamuni and Tabot'ap Pagodas) attempted a new harmony while intentionally breaking symmetrical structure. The same is true with the Gyeongju Namsalli Samcheungseoktap. It is assumed to have been a ‘Yangpisa’ in〈Samgukyusa, an Eastern pagoda following the style of a stone-brick pagoda made from cut stones resembling bricks. Western pagoda is a typical stone pagoda of the Silla Era which body structure consisted of three-stages on top of the double stereobate. The stereobate of the Eastern pagoda was made by piling up eight different rectangular stones in turn. It is very unique in that there were different connections on each side, instead of the usual monotonous cross-type connection. It has one main stone and a roof stone.


Namgansa Temple is presumed to have been the largest temple in the Mt. Namsan region together with the Changrimsa Temple. It is said that a monk named Ilnyeom who lived here wrote Chokhyangbunye bulgyeolsamun, which was about the life and martyrdom of devout Buddhist Lee Cha-Don. This place is completely surrounded by paddy fields. Here and there, remnants of old wells, tower members and stone drains can be found. The most conspicuous things in the temple site are the Danggan Poles, which are fairly large at a height of 3.6m, with slightly rounded tops and pierced with two holes. They also have cross-shaped grooves in the top part, which are rarely seen in Danggan Poles. While there are about 10 Danggan Poles in Gyeongju, the Mt. Namsan region has these Namgansaji’s Danggan Poles only.


Danggan refers to the flagpoles of flags called Dang, which were hoisted to defeat evil spirits or praise charitable deeds of the Buddha or a Bosal (a Buddhist saint) when Buddhist rites were held in a temple. The stone pillars that support Danggan are called Danggan Poles.

Namgansa refers to a temple that used to be on Mt. Seonamsan (West Namsan). Behind it is Haemokryeong Ridge. Only the foundation stones, wells, etc. remain. Slightly farther away from the Beopdang site are the 3.6m-tall Danggan Poles. These two pillars face each other at 70cm intervals from east to west.
They were made in the 8th century, in the middle of the unified Silla era, but their top portion and side edges have been trimmed. They are especially unique in that their inner parts were dug in a cross shape. Holes were pierced in their top and bottom parts, which show a simple structure and stability.


The Samguk Yusa (the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms) records that the highest peak on the south of Mt. Namsan is Gowisan, and that the temple south of the mountain is Gosa Temple or Cheollyongsa Temple. During the excavations led by the Gyeongju National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage between 1996 and 1997, seven building sites were found.

This stone tower is a general stone tower with tri-story body stones on the single-layered stylobate. It was built in the unified Silla era. It collapsed in the Cheollyongsa Temple site, but a research group from the Dongguk University Museum confirmed that it was the tri-story pagoda on the single-layered stylobate during its excavations in 1990. The tower was rebuilt in 1990 to its current status after a portion of the stylobate and most of the missing parts of the head decorations in the top portion were repaired. From the artist’s carving skills, it is presumed that the tower was built in the ninth century, and is 6.75m tall. 

• Yongjangsaji Ma-ae Seokgayeoraejwasang
• Yongjangsaji Seokbuljwasang
• Yongjangsaji Tri-story Stone Towers
• Seated Stone Buddha Statue of Mireukgok (Valley)
• Stone Buddha Relief Carving of Porisa (Temple)
• Seongak Yeoraejwasang in Samneung Valley

 
 
 
Yongjangsa Temple dates back to the early part of the Joseon dynasty. When Grand Prince Su-Yang assumed the throne after taking it away from his little nephew, King Danjong, Kim Si-Seup, an excellent writer and one of the Saengyuksin subjects (six loyal subjects who sacrificed their careers for the sake of their lofty principles), preserved his integrity by resigning. He later stayed here and wrote Geumosinhwa (Tales of Geumo). Maewoldangsa Temple was built in honor of Kim Si-Seup, but it later disappeared, without a trace. Even the temple site is not noticeable, and only Tri-Story Stone Tower, Seokbuljwasang Statue, and Ma-ae Yeoraejwasang Statue remain.

A tile carved with an excellent composition called Yongjangsa has been discovered. Yongjangsaji Tri-Story Stone Tower, positioned on a cliff, providing a fine view of the mountain, basically has a pagoda tower shape typical of the unified Silla era, but its stylobates are very uniquely designed. That is, after the upper part of the native base rock was trimmed until it was flat, it was set onto the lower stylobate, and the upper stylobates as well as the tri-story body stones and roof stones were set on top of this.

One can’t help but be impressed by the skills and wit of the Silla people, who transformed the mountain into a tower by using the whole mountain as a portion of the tower’s stylobates. Thus, Mt. Namsan can be considered both a mountain and a tower. Moreover, it harmonizes with the peripheral scenery, leaving a great impression on those who set their eyes on it. Lotus-like tri-step pedestals supporting the Buddhist statues are common, but the pedestals that support Seokbuljwasang Statue were made by piling up doughnut-shaped stones. The native rocks were also used for the stylobates. Currently, only the body of the Buddhist Statue is held up by the pedestals. The head is missing as the statue has rolled down from where it stands many times.


The ‘Seated Stone Buddha Statue at Porisa (Temple)’ is well known for its size, even if it has been built just recently. It is the largest in scale among the existing statues in Mt. Nam. Given the location details of the 49th King Hongang’s Tomb and the 50th King Chonggang’s Tomb, it was referred to be ‘in the southeastern direction of Porisa (Temple) in〈Samgukyusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms)〉. Hence, the temple could have been a very important one. This is evidenced by the presence of a Seated Stone Buddha Statue in the courtyard. Thanks to the appearance of the statue – with an elegant yet merciful face, it is often the first to be introduced when introducing stone Buddha statues in Mt. Nam. By its side is the hem of its dress pleasantly flowing with magnificent nimbus. On the back of nimbus is a shallowly carved sitting Medicine Buddha, which usually goes unnoticed since people’s attention are drawn too much to the facial expression of the front Buddha. The statue seems to have been built during the heyday of the United Silla Era.


It is said that in Sorabol, the capital of ancient Silla, a total of “178,936 houses were connected to each other with tiled roof and each house cooked rice with charcoal.” Moreover, “temples were scattered just like stars in the sky, and pagodas looked like flying wild geese in line.” A thousand years ago, Gyeongju was already the capital of our country for a thousand years. Just thinking about this city is overwhelming which makes one wonder if there is such a similar city in the whole world. When your imagination has run out of 2%, it is a place to visit to rejuvenate your imagination. As one walks along the trail by the southern hillside from Porisa (Temple), one could see a stunning view of the whole area centering on Mt. Jin and Mt. Nang. Here stands a Borisa Maaeseokbul (Temple), a Buddha statue with a merciful smile. It feels as though the statue has been still overlooking the city from a thousand years ago.


Only the face of this Buddhist statue was carved in low relief on the flat surface of a high cliff; the body and pedestal were linearly carved. Although it doesn’t look gentle at all owing to its long nose and thick lips, it nonetheless exudes dignity. It is also quite interesting as it looks as if it’s flying. This Buddhist statue is presumed to have been built during the latter part of the unified Silla period, or in the Goryo era.

Well there you are, the sites at the Namsan District of the Gyeongju Historic Areas. Hope you didn’t get ‘reading cramps’ from reading it, anyway it’s better than getting ‘leg cramps’ if you were to to go to each one of them. So now, you can decide where you want to go instead of going around aimlessly. I bet I’ll have the record for writing the longest single post, the way I’ve been writing. Thanks for being so patient with me. Don’t worry the next post won’t be this long.

I’d like to wish all Koreans who will be celebrating the New Year on 14th February this coming Sunday, “Happy Seollal” and all Chinese who will be celebrating Chinese New Year on the same day too “Gong Xi Fa Cai”. Happy Valentine’s Day to all!



Special thanks and appreciation to the following
Photos and articles © courtesy: 
http://www.gyeongju.go.kr/English,
http://www.english.tour2korea.com/,
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/
http://www.ocp.go.kr/,
http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english,