Daegwangbojeon Hall of Magoksa Temple, Gongju

Magoksa has two founding stories, both seventh-century, and a long history of being abandoned and restored — derelict from the late Silla period until 1172, restored, derelict again for sixty years after the Japanese invasions, and rebuilt from 1651. This hall is the temple's centre, aligned with the two gates you pass through to reach it, and holds Vairocana, the Buddha who stands for truth itself. The present building dates from 1813 after a fire. It is five bays by three under a hip-and-gable roof, with brackets between the columns as well as above them. The doors are the thing: three leaves in each of the five bays, their lattice cut with flowers, and a dragon's head carved above the central bay. Inside, a coffered ceiling and a finely made canopy over the altar, which sits against the west wall rather than the north. The stream loops round the temple twice, so you cross two bridges to get here. This is also where Kim Gu, later leader of the Korean independence movement, hid as a monk after killing a Japanese man in revenge for the queen's murder.

Original Text

Visiting

Opening hours

Open 24 hr

Closed

N/A (Open all year round)

Parking

Available

Information

+82-041-841-6220

Visitor information: Korea Tourism Organization · KOGL Type 1

Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물