Stupa with Lotus, Cloud and Dragon Design in Relief in Sangyeok-dong, Daegu

This stupa, now standing at the museum of Kyungpook National University, is centred on a body stone that holds Buddhist relics (sari), supported below by a base and topped by a finial. The lowest stone of the base is square, with an inverted lotus pattern carved on each face. The middle stone of the base is a rounded octagon, its whole surface carved with clouds, and on the front, back, left and right sides four dragons stand out in relief. The angles are sharply defined and convey a sense of strength, in which the spirit of the Goryeo period can also be felt. The body stone has pillar shapes carved at the corners of its octagonal form. Door-shaped panels are carved on the front and back faces, flanked on either side by the Four Heavenly Kings who guard the Buddhist Law. The roof stone is likewise octagonal, sloping steeply from the top before spreading out broadly at the bottom. The ridge lines of the sloping surface are clearly defined, and the eight corners are slightly upturned. Overall the stupa follows the octagonal format closely while clearly showing the characteristics of the Goryeo period. In several respects it recalls the Stupa at Godalsa Temple Site in Yeoju (National Treasure), though its carving technique is somewhat inferior, and it is thought to have been made in the early Goryeo period. The upper part of the body stone feels a little contracted, but the cloud and dragon patterns carved on the middle base stone bring out the grandeur of the base as a whole. The stupa was moved to the museum of Kyungpook National University from a Japanese person's house, and neither its original location nor the monk it commemorates is known.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Buk-gu, Daegu

Designation

Treasure · 보물