Daeungjeon Hall of Gwallyongsa Temple, Changnyeong

Gwallyongsa was one of the eight great temples of the Unified Silla period, holds many cultural treasures, and is also renowned for its scenery. Legend has it that Wonhyo, while keeping a hundred-day prayer vigil here with his disciple Songpa, suddenly saw nine dragons rise into the sky from a pond, and that from then on the temple was named Gwallyongsa, "watching the dragons", and the mountain behind it Guryongsan, "nine-dragon mountain". A Daeungjeon hall usually enshrines a single image of Sakyamuni Buddha, but unusually this Daeungjeon at Gwallyongsa enshrines three Buddhas together: Bhaisajyaguru, Sakyamuni, and Amitabha. According to a record discovered near the ceiling during repair work in August 1965, the hall was first built in 1401, the first year of King Taejong of Joseon, burned down during the Japanese invasions of 1592–1598, and was rebuilt from 1617, the ninth year of King Gwanghaegun, being completed the following year. It measures three kan on both the front and the side, and its roof, seen from the side, is a hip-and-gable roof shaped like the character for "eight". The decorative bracket sets supporting the eaves are placed not only above the columns but also between them, in the dapo style. The interior ceiling is built in the shape of the character for "well", with the unusual feature that its central section is raised one level higher than the rest.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물