Multi-story Brick Pagoda of Silleuksa Temple, Yeoju

This brick pagoda stands on a scenic rock overlooking the Hangang River below, facing a distant plain across the river. A brick pagoda (jeontap) is built of fired clay bricks; in Korea a few such pagodas survive in Gyeonggi-do province and in the Andong area of Gyeongsangbuk-do province. The pagoda has a two-tier foundation (gidan), above which a three-tier stepped base was built, and on top of that the multi-storey body was raised. The foundation and steps are of granite, while the body is built of clay bricks up to the sixth storey; a single additional body stone placed on top makes the structure ambiguous, so that it can appear to have seven storeys. Unlike brick pagodas of the Unified Silla period, the roof stones here are very thin in relation to the body stones, giving the whole a quite distinctive impression. The cornice supports beneath the roof stones are in two tiers for the first to third storeys and one tier from the fourth storey upward; above the roof stones there are four tiers of supports at the first storey and two tiers from the second storey upward, another unusual feature. There is a finial at the top, but it is thin. To the north of the pagoda stands a stele erected at the time of a repair, bearing an inscribed date corresponding to the mid-autumn of a byeong-o year reckoned from the start of the Chongzhen era, that is, 1726, the second year of King Yeongjo of Joseon. Since the pagoda was rebuilt at that time, its present form is unlikely to match its original appearance. Judging from the patterns carved on the bricks, however, it seems right to consider that it was originally built in the early Goryeo period. Repeated repairs since it was first erected appear to have disturbed the arrangement of the semicircular patterns on the bricks and somewhat altered its overall form.

AI Translation

Visiting

Admission

Individual: Adults 3,000 won / Teenagers 2,200 won / Elementary school students 1,500 won <BR> Group: Adults 2,500 won / Teenagers 2,000 won / Elementary school students 1,200 won<BR> * Group: More than 30 people

Parking

Available

Information

• 1330 Travel Hotline: +82-2-1330<br>(Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese) <br> • For more info: +82-31-885-2505

Visitor information: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1

Where it is

Region

Yeoju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물