Eungjinjeon Hall of Buryeongsa Temple, Uljin

Buryeongsa Temple is said to have been founded by Uisang in 651, the fifth year of Queen Jindeok of Silla. Legend has it that he saw the reflections of five Buddhas rising above a pond on the site, drove out the dragon living there, and built the temple. In 1396, the fifth year of King Taejo of Joseon, the temple burned down entirely except for Nahanjeon Hall, and during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s it burned down again with only Yeongsanjeon Hall surviving; it was later rebuilt and has undergone many repairs to reach its present form. Eungjinjeon Hall enshrines a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha at the centre, flanked by Ananda and Kasyapa and sixteen arhat (nahan) statues. Records discovered during repair work in 1984 show that the hall was rebuilt several times both before and after the Japanese invasions, and that it was originally Yeongsanjeon Hall. The building measures three bays across the front and two bays along the side, with a gabled roof that forms the shape of the character 人 (person) when viewed from the side. It is built in the dapo style, in which decorative bracket clusters supporting the eaves are placed not only above the columns but also between them. The central front bay has a four-panel hinged door, and the bays on either side have small windows. Inside, the ceiling is finished in a well-shaped (井) coffered pattern to conceal the structure above. The dancheong, or traditional decorative colouring, survives relatively well on the interior, allowing the patterns of the mid-Joseon period to be studied.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Uljin, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물