Stupa of Buddhist Monk Jijeung at Bongamsa Temple, Mungyeong

This stupa enshrines the sari (relics) of the Buddhist monk Jijeung and stands to the left of Daeungjeon Hall at Bongamsa Temple. Jijeung (824–882), the monk who founded the temple, became a monk at the age of seventeen and, in the seventh year of King Heongang's reign (881), was appointed royal preceptor, but he declined the position and returned to Bongamsa Temple, where he died the following year, in 882. The king bestowed on him the posthumous title "Jijeung" and ordered that the stupa be named "Jeokjo". The stupa is centred on a body stone that holds the sari, with a pedestal supporting it from below and a finial crowning it above. The pedestal has two tiers and is octagonal in plan. Each face of the lower tier is carved in relief with a lion, and the moulding supporting the upper tier is filled all around with a thick band of cloud patterns. On the upper tier, pillar-shaped carvings decorated with clouds stand at each corner, and between them are elegant carvings of kalavinka, mythical Buddhist beings with a human upper body and a bird's lower body. Each face of the middle stone bears various motifs carved with still greater skill and precision. The upper stone of the pedestal has a raised band on its top surface to support the body stone, and small round pillar-shaped carvings at each corner create a three-dimensional balustrade. The body stone is octagonal, with a pillar shape carved at each corner. On the front and back faces are carvings of door panels fitted with locks and door rings; to either side of these are relief carvings of the Four Heavenly Kings, guardians of the Buddhist Dharma, and on the remaining two faces are carvings of bodhisattvas. The roof stone is also octagonal, its underside carved with a double layer of rafters, giving the impression of a double-eaved roof. The eaves curve up slightly, the ridge line at each corner is bold, and modest flower ornaments project appropriately at their ends. At the top of the roof stone, the elements of the finial are stacked in sequence above a lotus-shaped base. Although part of the roof stone is broken, the decoration of every part is beautiful and finely wrought, giving the stupa a dignified quality. The stupa's overall proportions are well balanced, and although the roof stone appears a little wide, it still conveys a sense of stability. Beside the stupa stands a memorial stele recording the life and achievements of the monk Jijeung; on the evidence of its inscription, the stupa is thought to have been erected in the ninth year of King Heongang of Unified Silla, in 883.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물