East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas of Yongamsa Temple, Okcheon

Yongamsa Temple was founded by the monk Uisin in the thirteenth year of King Jinheung of Silla (552). Unlike the usual arrangement of temple compounds, these stone pagodas do not stand in front of Daeungjeon Hall but on a low peak to the north, from which the surrounding landscape can be seen in every direction. Given that the pagodas were built at a site commanding a wide view in all directions, they are presumed to have been erected in accordance with the sancheon bibo philosophy, which flourished in the Goryeo period. This philosophy held that erecting a pagoda or building could reinforce the weakened energy of the surrounding mountains and streams. The two pagodas, identical in form, each have a three-storey body set on a two-tier base. Despite being built on natural bedrock, they are each provided with a two-tier base; the east pagoda stands 4.3 m high and the west pagoda 4.1 m, a slight difference in scale. On the west pagoda, the body stones of the second and third storeys were lost and have since been replaced. The style of each part and the method of jointing the stones are considerably simplified, and this pair is academically significant as the only known example of twin pagodas among those so far identified as built under the sancheon bibo philosophy.

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Where it is

Region

Okcheon, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물