Stone Seated Vairocana Buddha of Cheongnyongsa Temple, Yecheon

This Goryeo-period Buddha statue is enshrined in Cheongnyongsa Temple in Yongmun-myeon, Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province, standing side by side in the main hall with the Stone Seated Buddha of Cheongnyongsa Temple, Yecheon. The head is covered with small snail-shell curls, above which rises a large, low, topknot-shaped protuberance (usnisha). The face is nearly square, giving a broad, flat impression, and the nose and mouth sit very close together, producing a distinctive look. The robe draped over both shoulders thickly wraps the flat, broad body. The parallel folds flowing from the shoulders down to both hands are soft, but give a somewhat unnatural impression. The two hands held near the chest, with the left index finger wrapped by the right hand, form the mudra typically taken by Vairocana Buddha. The square pedestal is divided into upper, middle and lower tiers. The upper tier carries lotus patterns on all four sides, and the middle tier has a large, eye-shaped ansang niche carved on each face. The front of the lower tier is damaged, and two ansang niches are placed on each side face. Although the work follows the style of seated Vairocana Buddha statues that was popular in the 8th and 9th centuries, the shrunken, lifeless body, the weakened square pedestal, the formulaic robe folds, and the reduced tension in the rendering of the body suggest that it was made in the early Goryeo period.

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Where it is

Region

Yecheon, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물