Buddhist Temples of the VI century

South Korea is a country with a huge historical heritage. For me, this country is a museum. Pieces of the past can be found in many different corners. And many of these attractions have been several centuries.

The state takes care of each of the historical values, making a lot of efforts for their restoration and protection. And here is one of such places where the restoration has recently ended, is the Buddhist temple of Bulguksa.

Temple entrance

Bulguksa Temple (불국사) is located in the ancient capital of South Korea - in Gyeongju City. I already told about this city in my article. This is one of the most ancient Buddhist temples in South Korea. According to the country's history of the three "Samguk Yusa" states, the temple was built in 528, when there were three mighty states on the Korean peninsula: Koguryo, Silla and Baekje. The temple of Bulguksa was built on the territory of the state of Silla.

The temple was rebuilt and restored. After all, it's no secret that in Korea, as in the whole world, wars often occurred between tribes, neighboring settlements, states.

Holy spring

In the period from 1592 to 1598, Korea was attacked by Japan. The Imjin war began, which left a deep imprint on the history of the country, which is still remembered to this day. This war not only claimed thousands of lives, but also destroyed many historical monuments. There remained a trace from the war and on the temple of Bulguksa, many wooden constructions of the temple were burnt.

After the end of the war, in 1604, an order was given to restore the church. For 200 years, the temple has changed a lot. In 1910, Japanese annexation began in Korea, during which the restoration of the temple was continued by Japanese specialists and workers. But the work was not finished. Korea was under Japanese annexation for about 35 years.

The modern view of the temple of Bulguksa was received during the reign of former South Korean President Pak Jong-hee.

Two stone staircases lead to the entrance to the temple (the lower Chongungyo and the upper Pagungyo) from 33 steps, which symbolize 33 steps towards enlightenment.

One of the main features of the temple are the pagodas, which are two in the temple. Usually, in Buddhist temples there is only one pagoda.

Pagoda Sokkatkhap consists of 3 tiers and its height reaches 8.2 meters. And the second Tabotkhap pagoda or, as it is also called, the Treasure Pagoda has an unusual design and its height is 10.4 m.

Behind the pagodas is the main hall of Bulguksa - Taeundjon, which means the Hall of Enlightenment, which was built in the distant 681 .. This hall is the sanctuary of Sakyamuni.

In the temple there is also a hall of silence Musoljon. In the Buddhist canons it is said that Buddhist teachings must be transmitted not only in words. The hall was built in 670.

Grotto of Sokkuram (석굴암)

Visiting the temple of Bulguksa, it is impossible to ignore the artificial grotto of Sokkuram, which is at an altitude of 750 meters.

The construction of the grotto began in 742 under the Silla dynasty. Then the temple was called Sogpulsa, which means Temple of the stone Buddha. The construction of the temple was 32 years.

The culture of carving the Buddha on the rocks came to Korea from China. In general, Chinese culture had a great influence on the development of Korea. Until now, in Korean culture, you can see some features of Chinese culture and traditions. If you believe the historical chronicles, then the Chinese also brought Buddhism to Korea.

It is believed that Sokkuram is a symbol of the soul's journey to Nirvana. Buddhists believe that the front hall of the grotto is the earth, and the main hall is the sky. Therefore, pilgrims, beginning with the Buddhist temple of Pulgux, went to the grotto.

In the main hall of the Sokkuram is a statue of a Buddha sitting in a lotus pose. On the stone panels around the statue are depicted various gods who protect and guard the temple.

In the XVII century, when the Joseon Dynasty ruled, the grotto of Sokkuram was slightly rebuilt and restored.

Temple of Hwannyeonsa (황룡사)

Speaking about the Buddhist temples of Gyeongju city, we can not say about the temple of Hwanyeonnsa. This is the "Temple of the Golden Dragon," which was once the center of Buddhism in the state of Silla. The temple occupied a huge territory, its total area was slightly more than 380 thousand square meters. And the walls of the temple were almost 290 meters high. In general, in the state of Silla attached great importance to Buddhism, so the construction of the temple was supervised by the royal family itself.

In 533 on the site of the temple it was planned to build a palace, but on this place a gold dragon appeared, so the construction of the palace was moved to another place, and on the place where the dragon appeared, the construction of Hwanyeonnsa began. First built a wooden pagoda in 9 floors. Someone says that 9 floors mean 9 Asian nations. The construction of the temple lasted almost one century. At the end of the 6th century, a golden statue of Buddha was cast, the height of which was 5.2 meters, and the weight exceeded 27 tons. Unfortunately, in 1238 the whole temple, like the Buddha statue, was destroyed during the Mongol invasion.

Hwanyeonsa temple today

In order to preserve the memory of the pagoda, recently completed the reconstruction of the pagoda. The government of Gyeongju City recreated all 9 floors of the holy tower. And also, in the city of Gyeongju was built a glass building, the center of which resembles a nine-story pagoda. This building was built in preparation for the Gyeongju Expo.

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@irisworld

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