Yangdeoksa Temple – 양덕사 (Ulju-gun, Ulsan)
Temple History
Yangdeoksa Temple is located in Ulju-gun, Ulsan next to the Gyeongbu Highway that connects Busan to Gyeongju. It’s also at the nexus of the Ulsan Expressway that connects eastern Ulsan with the western part of the city. Yangdeoksa Temple is a modern temple that’s just over 20 years old. The temple also belongs to the Cheontae-jong Order of Korean Buddhism.
Temple Layout
After making your way under a few highway underpasses and next to several rice fields, you’ll finally stumble upon Yangdeoksa Temple next to a portion of the Eonyang River. The first building to welcome you will be the two-story main hall. The first floor of the structure is the administrative office and kitchen.
It’s up a flight of stairs to your left that you’ll see the signs pointing you up towards the second story Beopdang Hall. Adorning the exterior of the main hall walls are a variety of Buddhist motif murals. Entering the Beopdang Hall, you’ll find a rather peculiar main altar. Resting on the main altar is a fiery framed picture of Sangwol Wongak (1923-74), who was the modern founder of the Cheontae-jong Buddhist Order. This image rests under a narrow red canopy. The underside of the canopy has two painted images of dragons: one yellow and one blue. To the right of this main altar, you’ll find a large, modern Shinjung Taenghwa (Guardian Mural). On the far right wall is an equally large mural dedicated to Jijang-bosal (The Bodhisattva of the Afterlife). And on the far left wall, you’ll find a painting of the Geumgangjeo (Vajra) symbol that’s the symbol of the Cheontae-jong Order.
To the left of the two-story main hall, you’ll find the most distinct shrine hall at Yangdeoksa Temple. This is the Gwaneum-jeon Hall that’s even noticeable from the neighbouring highways. This two-story structure is adorned with intricate dancheong colours around its exterior. Stepping inside, you’ll find a statue of Gwanseeum-bosal (The Bodhisattva of Compassion) on the main altar. This statue is joined to the left by a golden statue of Sangwol Wongak. The entire interior is adorned with murals of the 33 incarnations of Gwanseeum-bosal, and they’re quite striking. Also taking up residence inside the Gwaneum-jeon Hall is another Shinjung Taenghwa (Guardian Mural) and a mural dedicated to Jijang-bosal.
How To Get There
From the Ulsan KTX train station, you can catch a taxi. The taxi ride to Yangdeoksa Temple will take about 8 minutes, or 5.5 km, and it’ll cost you around 6,700 won (one way).
Overall Rating: 5/10
The most interesting aspect to Yangdeoksa Temple is the two-story Gwaneum-jeon Hall. It dominates the temple grounds both near and from afar. Being a Cheontae-jong Order temple, it’s a bit different than the more popular Jogye-jong Order temples in Korea. Some of these differences can be found in the presence of both a painting and statue dedicated to Sangwol Wongak, as well as the absence of any and all shaman deities at the temple like Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit) and Chilseong (The Seven Stars). The temple won’t blow you away, but it’s nice.
