Deoksa Temple – 덕사 (Cheongdo, Gyeongsangbuk-do)
Temple History
Deoksa Temple is located in northern Cheongdo, Gyeongsangbuk-do on Mt. Jugusan inside the Deokjeolsan Natural Ecology Park. There are no written records as to when the temple was first founded. However, according to oral tradition, it’s believed that Deoksa Temple was first founded during Unified Silla (668-935 A.D.). The temple would later be reconstructed by the famed monk Muhak-daesa (1327-1405).
The present incarnation of Deoksa Temple dates back to the reign of King Seonjo of Joseon (r. 1567-1608). In 1576, Hwang Eung-gyu, who was the governor of Cheongdo County, noted that the topography of Mt. Jugosan resembled that of a running dog according to pungsu-jiri (geomancy, feng shui). To stop the dog from running away, Hwang decided to build a temple, offering it a rice cake to make it stay. The temple, at this time, was called “Tteokjeol,” or “Rice Cake Temple” in English. In hanja (Chinese characters), it was known as Byeongsa Temple (餠寺), which literally means “Rice Cake Temple. But over time, the name of the temple changed to Deoksa Temple, which means “Virtuous Temple” in English.
According to an inscription on a stele on the temple grounds, the monk Jang-ok rebuilt Deoksa Temple in 1816. In 1977, the Yeongsan-jeon Hall was repainted with dancheong. And in 1978, the Myeongbu-jeon Hall was also repainted and the Siwang (Ten Kings of the Underworld) statues inside the Myeongbu-jeon Hall were repainted, as well. Currently, the temple is home to 800 lay followers.
In total, the temple is home to three provincial treasures. They are the “Yeongsan-jeon Stone Triad Buddha and Sixteen Arhats, Cheongdo,” the “Yeongsan Hoesangdo (Assembly of Vulture Peak), Cheongdo,” and the “Myeongbu-jeon Stone Jijang Triad and Ten Kings of the Underworld, Cheongdo.” All three are Gyeongsangbuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage. In addition, Deoksa Temple is one of the 982 traditional temples in Korea.
Temple Layout
From the temple parking lot, and if you look south, you’ll see the beautiful river below. Now facing north, and towards the main temple grounds, you’ll first see the two-story Beomjong-gak Pavilion. The first story acts as the entrance to the main temple courtyard, while the second story houses the four traditional Buddhist percussion instruments. To the left of this two-story bell pavilion, you’ll find a rather unique stele (biseok). Traditionally, the base to a Korean stele has a turtle/tortoise base. However, for this stele, it seemingly has a sheep dog for a head. And yet, it has a shell on its back. Perhaps a hybrid?
Making your way through the first floor of the Beomjong-gak Pavilion, you’ll find a modern three-story pagoda fronting the Yeongsan-jeon Hall. The base of the pagoda is adorned with reliefs of the Eight Legions, while the first body stone is adorned on all sides by various Buddhas. Book-ending the stone pagoda are a pair of lion-based stone lanterns reminiscent of the historic lantern found at Beopjusa Temple.
To the right of the main temple courtyard’s three-story stone pagoda, you’ll find the administrative office and monks’ dorms at Deoksa Temple. And to the left of the pagoda, you’ll find the Myeongbu-jeon Hall. The exterior walls to the Myeongbu-jeon Hall are left in their natural wood tones. Stepping inside, you’ll find the “Stone Seated Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Triad and Ten Kings of Myeongbujeon Hall, Deoksa Temple, Cheongdo.” The set was originally housed at Cheonjusa Temple on Mt. Hwaaksan in Cheongdo. It’s unknown when the set was relocated, but they were originally produced in 1678 from soapstone. On the main altar, you’ll find the central image of a dark green haired image of Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife), who is flanked by statues of Mudokgwiwang (Innoxious King of Ghosts) and Domyeong-jonja (Daoming). In total, there are 28 historic statues inside the Myeongbu-jeon hall. They include ten seated statues dedicated to the Siwang (The Ten Kings of the Underworld), one Noksa, one judge (pangwan), two messengers (saja), and ten attendants (dongja).
Behind the central stone pagoda in the main temple courtyard, and up a set of stairs, you’ll find the Yeongsan-jeon Hall. This hall acts as the main hall at Deoksa Temple. The exterior walls are filled with paintings dedicated to various Nahan (The Historical Disiciples of the Buddha). Stepping inside the Yeongsan-jeon Hall, you’ll find a triad of statues on the main altar. The central image is that of Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha) with the flanking images dedicated to Mireuk-bul (The Future Buddha) and Yeondeung-bul (The Past Buddha). Outside of this main altar triad, there are sixteen additional Nahan statues on either side of the main altar. Three of these statues have cracks to their bodies, while another was recently made of plaster. This one has been excluded from the official designation as a Gyeongsangbuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage. The Nahan statues have recently been repainted, and the main altar triad has been recently re-gilded. Like the neighbouring “Stone Seated Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Triad and Ten Kings of Myeongbujeon Hall, Deoksa Temple, Cheongdo,” the “Yeongsan-jeon Stone Triad Buddha and Sixteen Arhats, Cheongdo” are a Gyeongsangbuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage that date back to 1678 and were originally located at Cheonjusa Temple on Mt. Hwaaksan in Cheongdo. Again, it’s unknown when these 21 statues inside the Yeongsan-jeon Hall were relocated to Deoksa Temple.
The main altar triad is backed by another Gyeongsangbuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage. This is the “Yeongsan Hoesang-do (Assembly of Vulture Peak), Cheongdo.” The painting is a Buddhist line-drawing painting (Seonmyo Bulhwa) that’s created on silk and rendered white lines. At the centre of the painting, you find an image of Seokgamoni-bul, who is surrounded by a mandorla. He is also seated on a lotus pedestal on a tall platform. On either side of this central image stand Munsu-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Wisdom), Bohyeon-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Power), Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion), and Daesaeji-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Wisdom and Power for Amita-bul). Behind, you’ll find images of Kāśyapa and Ānanda. All of these images face inward towards Seokgamoni-bul. Overall, the painting is simple and uncluttered. The painting was created in 1817. The only other image found inside the Yeongsan-jeon Hall is a modern Shinjung Taenghwa (Guardian Mural).
To the right rear of the Yeongsan-jeon Hall, and up a small trail, you’ll find the Samseong-gak Hall. Like the Myeongbu-jeon Hall, the exterior of the shaman shrine hall is unadorned and remains in its natural wood tones. Stepping inside, you’ll find three shaman paintings that are reminiscent of the paintings found at Songnimsa Temple in Chilgok, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Without a doubt, they were created by the same artist. In fact, they appear to be identical. All three paintings, which are dedicated to Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit), Chilseong (The Seven Stars), and Dokseong (The Lonely Saint), are all vibrantly painted and masterfully executed.
How To Get There
There’s no bus that goes directly to Deoksa Temple from the Cheongdo Bus Terminal. So you can either walk the 2.2 km distance, which will take about 30 minutes, or you can take a taxi. If you do decide on a taxi, it’ll take 6 minutes, or 2.3 km, and it’ll cost you around 4,300 won (one way). So if you’re travelling in a group, this might be your best bet. And if you’d rather hike it, you can simply follow the river and highway to your east, until you come to the bend in the river. To the north, you’ll be able to see the mountainside Deoksa Temple.
Overall Rating: 6/10
Deoksa Temple is picturesquely placed on the south side of a small mountain overlooking the river below. In addition to its natural charm, you can also enjoy all of the Gyeongsangbuk-do Tangible Cultural Heritage, for which the temple has three. Of the three, the central image dedicated to Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife) inside the Myeongbu-jeon Hall and the accompanying Nahan (The Historical Disciples of the Buddha) inside the Yeongsan-jeon Hall are the most impressive. Other things to keep an eye out for are the collection of shaman paintings inside the Samseong-gak Hall and the sheep dog-like base to the stele in front of the Beomjong-gak Pavilion at the entry of the temple grounds. The temple is smaller, but it’s definitely beautiful.
