Lion Stone Lantern in Front of the Stupa of State Preceptor Bogak at Cheongnyongsa Temple Site, Chungju

It is not clear when Cheongnyongsa Temple was founded, and there is no way now to picture what the temple originally looked like. At the old site only a stone lantern remain standing, together with the stupa and stele of State Preceptor Bogak; the present-day Cheongnyongsa Temple stands to the north of the old site and continues to this day. This stone lantern was erected in front of the stupa of State Preceptor Bogak to pray for the repose of his soul. Centred on the fire-housing stone, the part in which the light was lit, it has below it a three-tiered base to support it, and above, a roof stone and a finial. Of the three-tiered base, the bottom stone is carved with a lion lying prone and facing forward, which is why the lantern is called the Lion Stone Lantern. The middle stone, resting on the lion's back, is a low, four-sided pillar-shaped stone. The fire-housing stone is four-sided, its four corners carved to resemble round pillars, with two windows cut into the front and back faces. The roof stone has small flowers carved in relief projecting at each of its four corners; the steep slope of the roof and the thick corner lines are good examples of the roof-stone style of the Goryeo period. Placing a stone lantern alongside a stupa and stele at a temple site is an arrangement typical of the Joseon period. Judging from the inscription on the stele, this lantern is presumed to have been erected between the first year of King Taejo (1392) and the following year, 1393, early in the Joseon period.

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Where it is

Region

Chungju, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물