Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha and Stone Pedestal of Janggoksa Temple, Cheongyang

This Buddha statue is enshrined in the Sangdaeungjeon Hall of Janggoksa Temple, on Chilgapsan Mountain in Cheongyang, South Chungcheong Province. It depicts Vairocana Buddha, who is believed to preside over the entire world of truth. The small, nearly triangular face has long eyebrows, narrow eyes, and a small nose and mouth, giving it a somewhat secularised appearance. The shoulders are broad but the volume is weak. The robe exposes the right shoulder and covers only the left, and the exposed right shoulder seems to have been rendered rather carelessly. The two hands are held in front of the chest, with the right hand wrapped around the index finger of the left hand — a gesture unique to Vairocana Buddha, symbolising the oneness of the Buddha and all sentient beings. The pedestal on which the Buddha sits is not the original one but a stone-lantern pedestal placed there instead, and it does not sit well with the statue, giving an awkward impression. The mandorla, symbolising the light radiating from the Buddha's entire body, is made of wood, with flower-shaped decorations painted within the head halo and the body halo. Flame patterns are painted along the edge of the mandorla; all of these features match the mandorla of the Iron Seated Bhaisajyaguru Buddha and Stone Pedestal of Janggoksa Temple, Cheongyang (National Treasure), which stands alongside it. Overall, the plain face, meagre physique, and carelessly rendered right shoulder show a marked departure from the Vairocana Buddha style of the mid-ninth century, and the work appears to belong to almost the same type as the Stone Seated Vairocana Buddha of Gagyeonsa Temple, Goesan (Treasure).

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Where it is

Region

Cheongyang, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물