North Three-story Stone Pagoda at Hangyesa Temple Site, Inje

The site of Hangyesa Temple is located at Jangsudae, partway up Hangyeryeong Pass. The Hangyecheon Stream flows in front, and behind, a mountain ridge unfolds like a folding screen; according to a book compiled by Han Yong-un, the temple was founded in 647, the first year of Queen Jindeok of Silla, by the Venerable Jajang. After that it underwent several repairs and appears to have maintained its existence as a temple until around the end of the 17th century. At the site today, the foundation stones of the buildings remain in place, along with two three-story stone pagodas, a Buddha image, a stone lantern and many other stone structures. Of the two three-story pagodas, sometimes regarded as a pair, this is the one standing at the foot of the mountain. It has a two-tier base serving as a foundation, with a three-story pagoda body raised above it. It resembles the South Three-story Stone Pagoda at the Hangyesa Temple Site, Inje (Treasure), which stands in front of the site of the main hall, but differs in that the base stone and the middle stone of the lower tier are of different stones, and the roof-stone supports of all three stories are four-tiered. At the top, only the square stone that once supported the finial ornament remains. This pagoda displays the typical stone pagoda style of Unified Silla and is presumed to have been made in the mid-9th century, making it a relatively old pagoda within Gangwon State. Originally collapsed, it was restored in 1984; only the topmost stone of the lower base was newly replaced, and its state of preservation is otherwise very good.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Inje, Gangwon

Designation

Treasure · 보물