Stone Pillar of Geumsansa Temple, Gimje

According to the Geumsansa sajeok, a record of the temple's history, Geumsansa Temple was founded in the 600s and took on the form of a great temple when the Buddhist Master Jinpyo rebuilt it in the second year of King Hyegong of Silla (776). The temple is also famous as the place where, in 935, early in the Goryeo period, Singeom of Later Baekje confined his father Gyeon Hwon. This stone pillar, called a nojoo, stands midway along the path leading southwest from Daejeokgwangjeon Hall to Daejanggak Pavilion. Although its name means 'exposed pillar', its actual use is unknown, making it a rare kind of relic. Were it not for the flower-bud-shaped carving at its top, it would look like a square pedestal for enshrining a Buddha statue. A base stone is set on the ground, and on top of it a lower, middle, and upper support stone are stacked in order. On the lower support stone, pillar-shaped carvings are cut at the four corners and centre, dividing each face in two, within which blind-arch niches are carved. On the upper surface of the lower support stone and on the upper support stone, symmetrical lotus petals are carved on either side of an undecorated middle support stone; the lotus petals on the lower stone are wide and short, while those on the upper stone are narrow and elongated. At the top, a finial like that of a stone pagoda survives, in a form where a round base section and a jewel-shaped ornament resembling a lotus bud are linked by a thin, long connecting shaft. Although the temple is said to have been founded in the Unified Silla period, apart from the flagpole supports there is almost nothing else presumed to date from that period. Judging from the style of the carving on the support stones and the technique used throughout, this stone pillar too is thought to have been erected in the early Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gimje, Jeonbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물