Three-story Stone Pagoda in Naksan-ri, Gumi

Seonsan is a place closely associated with the earliest transmission of Buddhism to Silla, and many large stone pagodas survive there. Roof-tile fragments bearing lotus patterns, along with numerous other tile and earthenware fragments, have been found in the fields around this pagoda, showing that a temple once stood on the site. The pagoda survives in relatively complete form with only slight damage, and takes the form typical of Unified Silla stone pagodas: a three-storey body set on a two-tier platform. On the platform, the central stone of the lower tier has two corner pillars and three central pillars carved into it, five pillars to a side, while the central stone of the upper tier has two corner pillars and two central pillars. In the body of the pagoda, the first-storey body stone has a chamber on its south side for enshrining a Buddha image, and the entrance to the chamber still retains the round hole where a door was once fitted. The roof stones imitate the style of a brick pagoda in their lower support, eaves and stepped upper surface. The finial at the top has been entirely lost, leaving only the flat base plate that once supported it. Carving three central pillars into the lower platform stone is regarded as an early-style feature, whereas the way the body and roof stones are assembled points to a somewhat later date. The same style can also be seen in the Five-story Stone Pagoda in Jukjang-ri, Gumi, and this pagoda belongs to the same lineage of mojeon seoktap, stone pagodas built in imitation of brick pagodas. Judging from the disciplined stonework, the structure of the platform and the way each part is fitted together, the pagoda is thought to have been built around the eighth century, in the early Unified Silla period.

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Where it is

Region

Gumi, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물