Stone Seated Statue of Buddhist Monk Seungga at Seunggasa Temple, Seoul

This statue, enshrined at Seunggasa Temple, founded by the monk Sutae in the 15th year of King Gyeongdeok (756), is a portrait sculpture depicting Great Master Seungga, an eminent Indian monk who travelled to Tang China and devoted himself to proselytising, earning such renown that he was revered as an incarnation of the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. The head is covered with a hood, and the broad face with its prominent cheekbones gives the typical impression of an elderly countryman, showing strong regional character. Together with the flat, plain build of the body, these features resemble the early Goryeo stone monk statues such as the one at the Sajabinsinsa Temple site in Hansu-myeon, Jecheon-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do. The lower body, unusually broad in proportion to the elongated upper body, also shows characteristics similar to the iron Buddha statues of the early Goryeo period, and the robe draped over both shoulders, with its thick yet simple folds, well reflects the style of the period. The boat-shaped halo, which represents the light radiating from the body, is wider and larger than in other monk statues and is divided into a head halo and a body halo. The head halo is carved with lotus, vine and peony patterns, while the round body halo is carved with vine and bosanghwa (a stylised auspicious flower) patterns. On the back of the halo is an inscription stating that in the 4th year of Taepyeong (the 15th year of King Hyeonjong of Goryeo, 1024), the monk Jigwang took the lead and Gwangyu and others carved the statue. As a securely dated portrait sculpture from the early Goryeo period, it draws great attention alongside the stone grottoes that were highly regarded from the Three Kingdoms period through to the Goryeo period.

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Where it is

Region

Jongno-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물