Stele for the Construction of Daewongaksa Temple at Wongaksa Temple Site, Seoul

This stele records the history of the founding of Wongaksa Temple and was erected in 1471, the second year of King Seongjong of Joseon. Wongaksa Temple stood on the site of present-day Tapgol Park; it was established as the head temple of the Jogye Order when King Taejo of Joseon fixed the capital at Hanyang. After the Jogye Order was abolished, the site was used as a government office, but King Sejo later rebuilt Wongaksa Temple here and erected a ten-storey reliquary pagoda to commemorate the translation of the Wongakgyeong (Sutra of Perfect Enlightenment) at the Ganggyeongdogam (the office for sutra translation) and the enshrining of sari (Buddhist relics) brought from the reliquary pagoda at Hoeamsa Temple. The stele has no separate capstone; instead, two dragons are carved wrapping around the top of the stele body, following an archaising form. The stone tortoise base bearing the stele has a heavy, solid body, and its head projects forward without a distinct neck. The pattern on its shell is carved not as hexagons but as trapezoidal parallel lines, with a lotus leaf carved at the centre of the back and fish scales carved on the tail and legs, clearly showing the distinctive sculptural beauty of the Joseon period. Above the stele body, two dragons are carved holding up a boju (a lotus-bud-shaped ornament), and beneath the carving, at the centre, the stele's title, "Daewongaksaji-bi", is inscribed in the calligraphy of Gang Hui-maeng. The text of the inscription was composed and written by leading officials of the day: the front inscription by Kim Su-on and Seong Im, and the postscript on the back by Seo Geo-jeong and Jeong Nan-jong.

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Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물