Three-story Stone Pagoda in Naehwa-ri, Mungyeong

This is a small, unassuming three-storey stone pagoda standing in a deep mountain valley in Mungyeong. Nothing is known of the origin or scale of the temple that once stood here, and when the pagoda was found, its parts lay scattered - the body stone of the third storey, for instance, was in use as a foundation stone of a nearby, newly built shrine to the imperial family. All the scattered pieces were gathered and the pagoda restored in September 1960. The pagoda has an unusual form in having only a single-tiered base beneath its three-storey body. Corner pillars are carved only on the north and south faces of the base, while on the east and west faces stones bridging the north and south sides are fitted in. The body stone and roof stone of each storey are each a single block, and corner pillars are carved in relief at the four corners of each body stone. The roof stones curve up slightly at the four corners and carry four-tiered supports on the underside. Of the finial, only a square noban (a flat, dish-shaped base plate) survives, and unusually it is carved from the same stone as the roof stone of the third storey beneath it. With features typical of its period - the cushioning stone normally placed on the topmost base stone omitted, and the base reduced to a single tier - this pagoda is thought to have been made in the late Unified Silla period, when the political and social turmoil of the time was reflected even in the style of stone pagodas. During the restoration, a square cavity for holding sarira (Buddhist relics) was found in the first-storey body stone; the reliquary that would have been kept there is said to have been stolen during the Japanese colonial period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물