Lion Pagoda at Wontongjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple, Gurye

Hwaeomsa Temple was founded during the Unified Silla period to spread the teachings of the Hwaeom (Avatamsaka) school of Buddhism, and from its founding to the present day many monks have stayed here in pursuit of Hwaeom thought. In the late Silla period it was greatly expanded by the monk Doseon, and during the reign of King Munjong of Goryeo, Jeolla-do and Gyeongsang-do provinces were permitted to offer grain to the temple every year, so that a large storehouse was built outside the Iljumun (One Pillar Gate). The temple burned down during the Japanese invasions of 1592–1598, and its various buildings were rebuilt within seven years; it has since undergone several repairs to reach its present form. This pagoda, standing in front of Wontongjeon Hall within the temple, is a distinctive stone pagoda of the Unified Silla period, depicting four lions bearing an elongated, square stone on their backs. At the temple it is usually called a noju ("dew pillar"), though its exact original use is unknown; some say it enshrined Buddhist relics (sari), while others suggest it may have served as an offering platform (gongyangdae) for Buddhist rites. The base (gidan) supporting the pagoda has two tiers: the lower tier is plain, built of unadorned stone, while the upper tier, the most distinctive part of the pagoda, has a lion set at each corner. The lions sit on lotus pedestals, bearing on their heads a stone carved with a lotus design. The pagoda body is a rectangular block; each of its faces is framed by a rectangular border within which a guardian deity (sinjang) is carved. Above the body stone lies a single flat slab, its underside carved with a lotus design and its upper surface topped with a hemispherical stone. The use of four lions to form the upper base tier imitates the Three-story Stone Pagoda with Four Lions at Hwaeomsa Temple, Gurye, but the carving technique is less accomplished, suggesting this pagoda was made considerably later, around the 9th century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gurye, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Treasure · 보물