Stone Pedestal at Manboksa Temple Site, Namwon

Manboksa Temple is said to have been founded by the Goryeo-period monk Doseon, and the stone pedestal for a Buddha statue stands within the temple grounds. Carved from a single massive stone, the pedestal has a lower, middle and upper section, and its hexagonal shape is unusual. The lower section has an ansang, an eye-shaped niche, carved on each face and decorated inside with a flower, with a lotus design carved on its upper surface. The middle section is low and carved to resemble a short pillar. The upper section is wider than the middle section, and its flat top has a square hole in the centre, apparently for fitting a Buddha statue into place. The area around the lotus carving on the side has been damaged all over. This work departs from the octagonal form typical of Unified Silla, taking a hexagonal shape instead; the flower motifs within the ansang niches reflect a style that was popular in the Goryeo period, and the pedestal is thought to date from around the eleventh century.

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Where it is

Region

Namwon, Jeonbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물