Stele of Buddhist Monk Wonjong at Godalsa Temple Site, Yeoju

Buddhist Monk Wonjong, whose personal name was Chan-yu, was born in 869, the ninth year of King Gyeongmun of Silla, and passed away in 958, the ninth year of King Gwangjong of Goryeo, at the age of ninety (sixty-nine years after taking monastic vows). He maintained close ties with King Taejo (Wang Geon), the founder of Goryeo, and successive kings after him, and made great contributions to the development of Buddhism. When Wonjong died, King Gwangjong sent an official to pay condolences and bestowed on him the posthumous title Wonjong and the stupa name Hyejin. This stele was erected to honour Wonjong after his death, inscribing the achievements of his life to hand down to later generations. The turtle head of the base stone has a short, hunched neck, with wide-open eyes staring straight ahead; its clenched teeth and upturned eye corners give it a very fierce appearance. The legs are carved with dynamically rendered toes and claws, as if pushing off from the ground. The shell is carved in neat rows of triple hexagonal patterns, and at the centre sits a stele seat decorated with a lotus flower set above swirling cloud patterns. The capstone, resting on a lotus-shaped pedestal, has a dragon carved amid clouds that appears almost alive, creating an air of sacred power. At the top there is a hole for fitting a large jewel finial, and on the front a rectangular panel bears an inscription identifying the person the stele commemorates. The turtle base and capstone are both considerably large, and their vivid, lifelike carving of the turtle and dragon reflects the dynamic, grand style of the early years of the Goryeo dynasty's founding. King Gwangjong had Kim Jeong-eon, the finest writer of the age, compose the inscription, and dispatched the state's best craftsmen to carve the portrait and erect the stele as a pair with the monk's stupa. According to the inscription, the stele was raised and the work completed in 977. The stele body standing today is a newly made reproduction; the original is held and displayed at the Yeoju Museum.

AI Translation

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+82-31-887-3561

Visitor information: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1

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Region

Yeoju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물