Bomunsa Temple – 보문사 (Ganghwa, Incheon)
Temple History
Bomunsa Temple is located on Seongmo-do Island to the west of Ganghwa-do Island. However, while Bomunsa Temple is located on Seongmo-do Island, it’s apart of Ganghwa County in Incheon. The temple is located to the south of Mt. Nakgasan (235 m). Mt. Nakgasan is a transliteration of Mt. Potalaka, which is the mythical dwelling of Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion). As for Bomunsa Temple, it means “Universal Gate Temple” in English.
Bomunsa Temple was first founded in 635 A.D. by the monk Hoejeong-daesa. In 649 A.D., twenty-two images of Buddhas and Nahan (Historical Disciples of the Buddha) were enshrined inside the Nahan-jeon cave shrine hall.
Little is known about the temple’s history until 1812, when the temple was reconstructed. In 1867, the monk Gyeongsan rebuilt the stone cave Nahan-jeon Hall. In 1893, the Gwaneum-jeon Hall was built. In 1958, the Nahan-jeon Hall was repaired. In 1960, the Samseong-gak Hall was built. Then from May, 2006 to September, 2008, the Wabul-jeon Hall was built to house a ten metre long image of a Reclining Buddha. Around the same time, from May, 2006 to March, 2009, the outdoor shrine dedicated to the 500 Nahan was constructed. And more recently, the elaborate Yongwang-dang Hall was completed.
Bomunsa Temple is home to two city treasures. They are the “Grotto of Bomunsa Temple,” which is Incheon Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property #27; and the “Rock-Carved Seated Bodhisattva of Bomunsa Temple,” which is Incheon Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property #27. Also, the temple is home to the 700 year old “Chinese Juniper of Bomunsa Temple,” which is Incheon Metropolitan City Monument #17.
Temple Legend
There are two legends connected to Bomunsa Temple. The first is about the very foundation of Bomunsa Temple. According to this legend, there once was a fisherman living in Samsan-myeon, where he was casting a fishing net out into the sea. In his net, he would eventually catch some twenty-two stones. He threw these stones back into the sea and cast out his net, once more. Again, he caught the exact same stones in his net. Disappointed, the fisherman threw the stones back into the sea and returned home. That night, he had a dream. In this dream, an old Buddhist monk appeared and admonished the fisherman for having twice thrown away gifts that had been given to him. The Buddhist monk then asked the fisherman to pick the twenty-two stones up and carry them to a place on a mountain with good spiritual energy (pungsu-jiri, feng shui). The next day, the fisherman followed the monk’s instructions. He caught the twenty-two stones, once more, and this time brought them to the present site of Bomunsa Temple.
As for the second legend, there once was a jade lantern donated by a Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392) queen to Bomunsa Temple. One day, a young monk named Sami was cleaning the stone cave shrine hall, when he accidentally dropped the jade lantern on the floor. The jade lantern broke into two pieces, as if it were cut by a knife. The oil from the jade lantern soaked into the cave’s floor.
The young monk Sami was saddened by what he had done because he knew just how prized the jade lantern was to Bomunsa Temple. Sami ran crying to the abbot of Bomunsa Temple and reported what he had done.
“Oh, my! The jade lamp is a treasure of the temple. What can I do about it? I can’t do anything because it’s broken, but…” Sami paused, overcome with sadness.
The abbot, led by the young monk Sami, hurriedly entered the stone cave shrine hall, the Seokgul-beopdang. Strangely, however, they could see inside the cave even though the jade lantern had just been broken which illuminated the entire subterranean shrine hall.
Surprised, the abbot suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, the Nahan!”
Touching the jade lamp, the abbot found cracks on it as though it was once broken. However, in its current condition, it was no longer broken and no oil had leaked from it. The broken two pieces were now one whole.
Inside the cave, it was calm. It almost seemed like nothing had happened, and the twenty-two statues of the Nahan housed inside the stone cave shrine hall appeared as though they hadn’t moved. Also, the flame inside the jade lamp appeared to be brighter than before. Afterward, both the abbot and the young monk held regular ceremonies in front of the Nahan to celebrate their greatness.
Unfortunately, this jade lamp no longer resides at Bomunsa Temple. About ten years ago, the jade lamp went missing. Instead, jade candlesticks are used inside the cave shrine hall that house the Nahan to commemorate the jade lamp that once resided inside the shrine hall.
Temple Layout
You first make your way up a steep road from the temple parking lot. You’ll pass under the stately Iljumun Gate that’s beautifully adorned in dancheong colours and has two stone supports for pillars. Continuing up the road, you’ll pass by the temple’s gift shop to your right. In the summer, it might be a good place to cool off before making the rest of the hike.
Finally nearing the main temple courtyard, you’ll notice an elevated shrine hall to your left. This newly built shaman shrine hall is the Yongwang-dang Hall at Bomunsa Temple. It’s also one of the most impressive Yongwang-dang Halls in Korea. In front of this shaman shrine hall, you’ll find a row of the Sibijin-shin (The Twelve Zodiac Spirit Generals). These stone statues are fronted by a golden wisdom pearl.
Continuing up the stone stairs, and to the side of the Yongwang-dang Hall, is a large golden carp and two equally large, golden dragons. The exterior walls of the Yongwang-dang Hall are adorned with masterful depictions of Yongwang (The Dragon King). Stepping inside the Yongwang-dang Hall, you’ll find a main altar occupied by five seated, stone images of Yongwang. The central image is a feminine-looking image of the Golden Yongwang. Each of the five Yongwang rest under their own golden datjib (canopy). The interior is filled with aquatic images like whales and dolphins, and on the far left wall is a large image dedicated to Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion) and Yongwang.
To the right of the Yongwang-dang Hall is an outdoor shrine dedicated to a stone image of Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit). And to the right of this outdoor shrine, and past the stone barrier separating the two outdoor shrines, is a shrine dedicated to the five hundred Nahan (The Historical Disciples of the Buddha). In the centre of these stone images is an altar with an image of Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha), who is joined on either side by smaller stone statues of Yeondeung-bul (The Past Buddha) and Mireuk-bul (The Future Buddha). And all of this is fronted by a large, ornate three-story pagoda.
And finally, and along this ridgeline, is the Wabul-jeon Hall. Housed inside this rather long shrine hall is a stone image of a Reclining Buddha known as a “Wabul” in Korean. The reclining stone image of Seokgamoni-bul is ten metres in length.
Below this shrine hall is the “Grotto of Bomunsa Temple.” This is the stone cave shrine hall from the temple legend. It’s believed that it was first built in 635 A.D. to enshrine the stone statues of Seokgamoni-bul, Mireuk-bul, and the Nahan. The grotto was constructed using a natural rock formation. There are three arched gates that act as the entry to the cave shrine hall. The grotto was later reconstructed in 1812 and repaired in 1980. Stepping inside this shrine hall, and resting on the main altar, are the twenty-two images of the aforementioned Buddhas and Nahan. However, these are not the same statues from the fisherman legend. Not sure what happened to those. And to the left of this main altar is a stone relief of a Shinjung Taenghwa (Guardian Mural).
Out in front of the “Grotto of Bomunsa Temple” is the 700 year old “Chinese Juniper of Bomunsa Temple.” These types of trees are used as incense. During the Korean War (1950-53), the tree seemed to have withered. But it was revived some three years after the war. The juniper is twenty metres in height and 3.2 metres in circumference.
To the direct right of the “Grotto of Bomunsa Temple” and the “Chinese Juniper of Bomunsa Temple,” and up a set of stone stairs, you’ll find the Samseong-gak Hall. The stone stairs are book-ended by a pair of large seokdeung (stone lanterns). As for the interior of the shaman shrine hall, you’ll find a beautiful collection of murals dedicated to Chilseong (The Seven Stars), Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit), and Dokseong (The Lonely Saint).
To the right of the Samseong-gak Hall is the Geukrakbo-jeon Hall. The large main hall’s exterior walls are wonderfully adorned in intricate dancheong colours. Stepping inside the Geukrakbo-jeon Hall, you’ll find a main altar occupied by a triad of statues centred by Amita-bul (The Buddha of the Western Paradise) and joined by statues of Gwanseeum-bosal and Daesaeji-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Wisdom and Power for Amita-bul). The interior of the main hall is filled with jade images of Amita-bul.
Out in front of the Geukrakbo-jeon Hall are the Beomjong-gak Pavilion, which houses the large, bronze bell. This bronze bell was first cast in 1975. And to the right is the Beomeum-ru Pavilion, which houses the three other traditional Buddhist percussion instruments.
To the rear of the Geukrakbo-jeon Hall, on the other hand, and up a long set of stairs, is the “Rock-Carved Seated Bodhisattva of Bomunsa Temple.” It’s a bit of a climb, so be prepared. The image is that of Gwanseeum-bosal, and it was first carved by the monks of Bomunsa Temple and Pyohunsa Temple of Mt. Geumgangsan (present-day North Korea) in 1928. This image of Gwanseeum-bosal rests atop a lotus pedestal, and it wears a large, jeweled crown atop its rather squarish face. It holds a ritual ewer, or “kundika” in Korean, in its hands. Both of its shoulders are covered by its robe, and it has a large manja symbol carved on its chest. In total, the image is 9.2 metres in height and 3.3 metres in width. It’s Incheon Metropolitan City Tangible Cultural Property #27.
How To Get There
From the Ganghwa Bus Terminal, you’ll need to take Bus #31B (강화) to get to Bomunsa Temple. The bus ride should take about 55 minutes over 62 stops. You’ll need to get off at the “Bomunsa – 보문사 하차” bus stop. From where the bus drops you off, you’ll need to walk about 200 metres northeast to get to the temple.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10
Bomunsa Temple, alongside Boriam Hermitage and Naksansa Temple, are the three most cherished sites in Korea for the worship of Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion). It has beautiful views of the Yellow Sea off in the distance and a 700 year old juniper in the centre of the main temple courtyard. You can also enjoy the stunning Yongwang-dang Hall, the interior of the “Grotto of Bomunsa Temple” and its twenty-two stone statues, as well as the artwork inside the Samseong-gak Hall and the “Rock-Carved Seated Bodhisattva of Bomunsa Temple” on the heights above. Bomunsa Temple has a little bit of something for everyone and shouldn’t be overlooked when you visit Ganghwa-do.
