Tortoise-shaped Pedestal at Yeongamsa Temple Site, Hapcheon

These two tortoise-shaped pedestals, or gwibu, stand to the east and west of the site of the main hall within the Yeongamsa Temple Site. The exact date of the temple's founding is not known, but the many surviving relics from the height of the Unified Silla period suggest it was built around that time. Within the temple site the platforms of the main hall and several other buildings remain, giving an idea of the great scale of the temple at the time. A gwibu is a stele base carved in the shape of a tortoise; a stele shaft and capstone would originally have rested on top, but in both cases only the tortoise base now survives. On the eastern pedestal, the pattern on the tortoise's shell is hexagonal, and around the square stele seat that supports the stele shaft is a beautiful cloud pattern. Although the overall form is that of a tortoise, the head is carved like that of a dragon, the neck stretches straight out, and the mouth holds a magic jewel. The western pedestal likewise has a hexagonal shell pattern, and the stele seat set at the centre of the back is carved with niche-shaped motifs on its four sides and lotus petals along its edge. The western pedestal is thinner and slightly smaller than the eastern one, but appears to have been made with almost the same skill; the eastern pedestal in particular conveys a refined yet powerful sense of vitality. Judging from the style of each part and the stone relics nearby, these two pedestals are thought to date from the ninth century, during the Unified Silla period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Hapcheon, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물