• Gyeongsangbuk-do

    Jeseoksa Temple – 제석사 (Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do)

    Temple History Jeseoksa Temple is located in the eastern part Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do. Gyeongsan is also the home to the famed monk Wonhyo-daesa (617-686 A.D.). A little more on Wonhyo-daesa later. As for the temple, Jeseoksa Temple is named after Jeseok-bul (King of Heaven Buddha, or Indra). According to legend, the temple was built some four hundred years earlier. A local farmer found a statue of the Buddha and a part of a pagoda, so it was decided to build a temple on the current Jeseoksa Temple grounds. It is claimed by some that these artifacts date all the way back to Later Silla (668 – 935 A.D.). And some go…

  • Gyeongsangbuk-do

    Gatbawi Shrine – 갓바위 (Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do)

    Shrine History Gatbawi Shrine, which is officially known as the “Stone Seated Buddha at Gwanbong Peak in Palgongsan Mountain, Gyeongsan,” according to the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea, is located on the famed Mt. Palgongsan (1192.3m) in Gyeongsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do. In Korean, it’s officially called “Gwanbong Yeorae-jwasang.” Gatbawi is simply a statue on top of Gwanbong Peak (852.9m). Surprisingly, Gatbawi isn’t a National Treasure; instead it’s Korean Treasure #431. Shrine Layout The name of the shrine, Gatbawi, is in reference to the name of the bamboo hat, a “Gat,” which is a traditionally worn by men. So Gatbawi is a compound word. It’s a combination of “Gat” with the Korean word…