Meeting the Buddha on Namsan, Silla's Buddhist Land

On the slopes of Gyeongju's eastern Namsan, valleys such as Tapgok, Mireukgok, and Bulgok each hold Buddhas carved by the people of Silla. On another route up Namsan, at Chilbulam, you can see some of the finest Buddhist sculpture in Silla: the Rock-Carved Buddha Group of Chilbulam, a National Treasure, and the Rock-Carved Bodhisattva of Sinseonam, seated as if looking down over the mortal world. The pine-lined approach roads to the tombs of Kings Jeonggang and Heongang round out the eastern Namsan trip.

Along the way

1. 1

   Rock-Carved Seated Buddha at Bulgok, Namsan, Gyeongju

   경주 남산 불곡 마애여래좌상

   In a valley on the eastern slope of Namsan, Gyeongju, known as Buddha Valley, a niche 1m deep has been carved into a rock to hold this seated Buddha.\nThe Buddha's head appears to be covered by a hood-like form that extends down to the ears. The face is round and slightly bowed, and an inner smile seems to spread from the somewhat puffy eyes and the deeply set corners of the mouth. In this respect it resembles the seated stone Buddha of Inwang-ri, but overall its posture is more graceful and feminine. \nMoreLess

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2. 2

   Rock-Carved Buddha Group at Tapgok, Namsan, Gyeongju

   경주 남산 탑곡 마애불상군

   This area was once the site of Sininsa Temple during the Unified Silla period. Traces of a wooden building remain on the large rock to the south, and scattered stone pagoda fragments suggest that a south-facing temple was run here, centered on the Buddha carved into the southern face. On a huge, roughly 9m-square rock, several Buddhas are depicted in a pictorial style.\nMoreLess

   

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3. 3

   Stone Seated Buddha at Mireukgok, Namsan, Gyeongju

   경주 남산 미륵곡 석조여래좌상

   Believed to stand on the site of the Silla-era temple Borisa, this seated stone Buddha, 4.36m in total height with the Buddha figure itself measuring 2.44m, is the best-preserved Silla-era stone Buddha remaining on Namsan today. The head, covered in small snail-shell curls, rises to a tall topknot-shaped protrusion, and a soft, inward smile spreads across the round face. The robe draping both shoulders falls in a soft, languid way, carved here and there with parallel folds. \nMoreLess

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4. 4

   Tomb of King Heongang

   헌강왕릉

   This is the tomb (r. 875-886) of King Heongang, the 49th ruler of Silla, who devoted himself to civil governance and held a Baekje-jwagang lecture at Hwangnyongsa Temple. In his reign, commoners no longer thatched their roofs with reeds but used tiles, cooked rice with charcoal instead of wood, and the streets were said to be filled with the sound of singing -- a golden age of peace and prosperity. Beneath the mound, the tomb is built with a four-tiered stone foundation of long dressed stones.\nMoreLess

   

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5. 5

   Tongiljeon Hall

   통일전

   Tongiljeon is a national hall built to carry on the spirit of the unification of the Three Kingdoms and to pray for the future reunification of Korea. Inside are enshrined portraits of King Taejong Muyeol, King Munmu, and General Kim Yu-sin, and a long corridor displays historical paintings vividly depicting the battles of unification. Built to honor the memory of those who died for the nation, Tongiljeon is widely used as a site for ideological education for elementary and secondary school students and seems to be a near-obligatory stop on school trips. \nMoreLess

   

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6. 6

   Seochulji Pond

   서출지

   This is a legend from the time of Silla's second King Sojji. At this pond, an old man appeared and handed the king an envelope. Following the letter inside, the king shot an arrow into a geomungo (zither) case in the queen's bedchamber, and inside was found a monk who, in league with the queen, had been plotting to kill the king. The pond from which the envelope emerged is called Seochulji. \nMoreLess

   

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7. 7

   Rock-Carved Buddha Group at Chilbulam, Namsan, Gyeongju

   경주 남산 칠불암 마애불상군

   To turn the steep mountainside into level ground, stone retaining walls about 4m high were built to the east and north to create a platform on which the Buddhas of the Four Directions (Sabangbul) were enshrined; on the folding-screen rock behind, set back 1.74m, a Buddha triad (Samjonbul) was carved. The triad places a seated Buddha at the center with standing attendant bodhisattvas on either side. \nMoreLess

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8. 8

   Rock-Carved Bodhisattva at Sinseonam, Namsan, Gyeongju

   경주 남산 신선암 마애보살반가상

   Namsan in Gyeongju can be called a treasure house of relics and remains, home to Buddhist statues spanning from the Three Kingdoms period through the late Unified Silla period. Among them, the 1.4m-tall rock-carved half-seated bodhisattva is carved into the south-facing rock standing just above Chilbulam Hermitage.\nMoreLess

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