Three-story Stone Pagoda of Bulgulsa Temple, Gyeongsan

Bulgulsa Temple was founded in 690, the tenth year of King Sinmun of Silla, and is said to have been a large temple with more than fifty buildings and twelve hermitages as late as the mid-Joseon period. The pagoda stands in front of the main hall within the temple grounds. This pagoda has a three-story body built above a two-tiered foundation, following the general style of Silla stone pagodas. Long, wide stones mark out the area of the pagoda, and the base stone is assembled from four stones, one on each side. The uppermost stone of the lower foundation tier is fairly thick, with a two-tiered plinth stone set at its centre. On the central stone of the upper foundation tier, corner pillars and a central pillar are carved; the uppermost stone is thin, but a level tier is fitted neatly beneath it, in line with the stone above. The body of the pagoda is built with the body stone and the roof stone each made of a single piece; corner pillars are carved at each edge of the body stones, but there is no other ornamentation. The number of supporting tiers on the underside of the roof stones is reduced uniformly to four at every story; the underside of the eaves is level, but curves up noticeably at the finished edge. The four corners of the roof stones likewise show a gentle slope before curving up considerably at the finished edge. At the top, a noban (a finial base) and a bokbal (an ornament shaped like an overturned bowl) remain as the head ornament. The finish of the stonework shows great precision, giving the whole pagoda a distinctly well-proportioned appearance. However, certain formal features can be observed, such as the reduced overall scale of the pagoda, the excessive upward curve of the roof stones, and the emphasised treatment of the plinth stones carved beneath each section. From this it may be inferred that the pagoda was built in the late Unified Silla period; as a pagoda of that period, it is an outstanding work displaying formative beauty.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물