Stupa of State Preceptor Beopin at Bowonsa Temple Site, Seosan

A stupa enshrining the sarira, or relics, of a monk is called a sari-tap, or simply a stupa, and is erected within a temple's grounds. Centred on the body of the stupa, which holds the relics, a base is built up beneath to support it, and a finial is placed on top. This stupa stands at the site of Bowonsa Temple and enshrines the sarira of State Preceptor Beopin, Tanmun. State Preceptor Beopin was a renowned monk active at the end of Silla and the beginning of Goryeo; he became Royal Preceptor in the nineteenth year of King Gwangjong (968) and State Preceptor in 974, and passed away the following year here at Bowonsa. In 978 the king bestowed on him the posthumous title Beopin and gave his stupa the name Boseung. The base consists of two octagonal stones stacked as the lower support. On the bottom stone, a lion is carved in relief within a hollowed ansang, a cusped, eye-shaped recessed panel, on each face, while the upper stone realistically depicts a dragon moving through clouds, with a flower carved at each corner. The middle support is a plain octagonal column with an entasis profile and no carving, and the upper support is notable for the balustrade pattern carved vertically into its top surface. The body of the stupa is octagonal, with each corner carved to resemble a pillar, and the front and back faces bear carvings of door panels fitted with locks. To either side of these stand the Four Heavenly Kings, who guard the Buddhist Law, while the remaining two faces each show a standing figure wearing a tall crown. The roof stone is broad and thick; beneath it, rafters like those of wooden architecture are carved, and its upper surface has a steep slope. The corner ridgelines are sharply defined, and though flower carvings once decorated their tips, almost none survive. At the very top, above a bokbal, an upturned-bowl-shaped ornament carved with a large lotus flower, three footed boryun, wheel-shaped ornaments, are stacked in sequence as the finial. This stupa is thought to have been erected between 975, the year Beopin passed away, and 978, the year his memorial stele (Treasure) was raised. Overall it faithfully preserves the basic octagonal form, and the various patterns on the body and the flower carvings at the corners of the roof stone clearly display the character of the early Goryeo period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seosan, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물