Multi-story Stone Pagoda of Daewonsa Temple, Sancheong

Daewonsa Temple is one of Korea's foremost centres for seon meditation practice, and blends beautifully with the scenic splendour of Jirisan Mountain. Standing in front of the Sarijeon Hall within the temple grounds, this pagoda has an eight-story body raised on a two-tier platform, of which only part of the finial at the top survives. The upper tier of the platform is the most notable feature of the pagoda: instead of the usual pillar-shaped carvings at the corners, figures of guardian deities were placed there, and the Four Heavenly Kings are carved on its four faces. The roof stones of each story have thick eaves that curve up slightly at the four corners, and wind chimes hang from the eighth-story roof stone, as if ready to break the temple's quiet stillness at any moment. The pagoda first built by the Venerable Jajang was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of 1592–1598 and rebuilt in 1784, the eighth year of King Jeongjo of Joseon; it is a rare surviving example of an early Joseon stone pagoda. Its overall proportions are excellent and its carving is simple and unadorned. According to tradition, whenever there was a joyous occasion for the nation, an auspicious light would shine from the pagoda and its fragrance would fill the temple grounds, and it is said that a person of pure heart could see the sari (Buddhist relics) enshrined within the pagoda reflected in its shadow in the nearby pond.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Sancheong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Treasure · 보물