-
Bucheobawi/Okryongam Hermitage – 부처바위/옥룡암 (Gyeongju)
Shrine and Hermitage History Of the two, Bucheobawi and Okryongam Hermitage, it’s Bucheobawi that you’ve probably traveled all this way to see. Bucheobawi, which means “Buddha Rock,” in English, is located on the northern tip of Mt. Namsan (468m) in Gyeongju. But to get to Bucheobawi, you’ll first need to make your way down a country road, which eventually becomes a trail that runs alongside a stream. About three hundred metres up this trail, you’ll finally come to Okryongam Hermitage. Where the hermitage is presently located was the former site of Sininsa Temple, which was built during Later Silla (668-935 A.D.). Shrine and Hermitage Layout When you first approach Okryongam…
-
Chilbulam Hermitage – 칠불암 (Gyeongju)
Hermitage History Chilbulam Hermitage means “Seven Buddhas Hermitage” in English. Chilbulam Hermitage is located on the southeastern part of Mt. Namsan (495.1 m) at the summit of Bonghwa-gok Valley (烽火谷). Temples and hermitages first started to appear on Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju around the 7th century. And from the 9th to 10th centuries, many Buddhist sites like statues and pagodas were located along the ridges and valleys of Mt. Namsan. Chilbulam Hermitage was one of these hermitages. The name of the hermitage likely derives from the “Rock-carved Buddhas at Chilbulam Hermitage in Namsan Mountain,” which consists of a rock-carved triad and joined by four Buddha reliefs carved on a square…
-
Samneung-gol Valley – 삼릉골 (Gyeongju)
Valley Layout Samneung Valley, on the west side of Mt. Namsan (495.1m) in Gyeongju, means “Three Tombs Valley” in English. If Gyeongju is considered an outdoor museum, then Mt. Namsan; and Samneung Valley in particular, is an outdoor shrine dedicated to Silla Buddhism. From the visitors centre and the parking lot, it’s about a 1.5 kilometre hike to the top of the valley. Leaving enough time to see everything, which there’s a lot to see, it’ll take anywhere from an hour to two hours to hike. The trail starts off rather easily, and then it gets gradually harder and harder. A: The “Three Royal Tombs in Bae-dong, Gyeongju” The first…