Stupa of Buddhist Monk Tongil at Gagyeonsa Temple, Goesan

Gagyeonsa Temple is located on the southern slope of Chilbosan Mountain. About 1 km southeast of the temple stands the stele for Buddhist Monk Tongil, and climbing for about thirty minutes further southeast toward the main peak of Bogaesan Mountain brings one to the stupa, which stands on the ridge of the middle peak. The stupa, originally collapsed, was discovered in 1965; its scattered members were gathered and located, and it was restored by Goesan County between June and 12 July 1982, in the form it retains today. The stupa is a typical octagonal stone stupa complete with a base, body and finial, standing 2.3 m tall in total. The base consists of a foundation stone, a lower base stone, a middle base stone, and an upper base stone, all of which survive complete. The foundation stone and the lower tier of the base stone were carved from a single piece; the foundation stone bears no decoration, while the sides of the lower stone each have one bracket-shaped ansang niche carved on the left and right. The upper tier of the lower base and the pedestal of the middle base stone were likewise carved from a single piece; the upper stone is decorated with sixteen double-layered downward-facing lotus petals, one placed on each of the eight faces and corners of the octagon. The petal tips appear to have once borne ornamental "ghost-flower" finials, but these are all damaged, leaving only traces. On top, the middle base stone rests on a hoof-shaped cushion stone set above a single angular tier of moulding. The middle base stone was carved from a single piece, with only corner pilasters carved at each edge. The upper base stone was likewise carved from a single piece; its underside has three angular tiers of moulding, and its sides bear sixteen single-layered upward-facing lotus petals, arranged with eight petals at the centre and corners of each of the eight faces, in the same style as the upper stone of the lower base. Its upper surface is carved with a low, single angular tier of moulding that supports the body of the stupa. The body of the stupa consists of the body stone and the roof stone, each carved from a single piece. Corner pilasters are carved at each edge of the body stone, and on the front and back faces a rectangular frame is outlined with double lines, within which a decorated door-shaped panel is carved. The underside of the roof stone has three angular tiers of moulding, and the underside of the eaves is decorated with thirty-two double-layered upward-facing lotus petals, one at each corner and three on each remaining face. The roof slopes steeply and the eaves are thick, with heavily rendered tile-ridge lines. Ornamental finials were placed at the corners of the roof; four of these are now missing, while the remaining four have been reattached with adhesive. At the top is a band of sixteen single-layered downward-facing lotus petals. The finial has been entirely lost except for the base plate, which was carved as one piece with the roof stone; its sides are decorated with sixteen single-layered upward-facing lotus petals in an upright form, and a hole for the finial post remains at the top. The Stupa of Buddhist Monk Tongil at Gagyeonsa Temple displays excellent carving throughout, and despite having once collapsed and being restored, all its component members remain complete. It also faithfully carries on the octagonal stupa style established in the Unified Silla period, while stylistically showing the techniques of early Goryeo stone stupas. In particular, since the stele for Monk Tongil was erected between 958 and 960 (from the eighth month of the ninth year to the third month of the eleventh year of King Gwangjong of Goryeo), and it has been established that this stupa commemorates Monk Tongil, it is presumed to have been built at the same time as the stele. The great majority of surviving stone stupas stand in a quiet corner of their temple grounds, with the stele usually located nearby. This stupa, however, was built on a mountainside far from its stele, an unusual choice of location. Moreover, from the site of the stupa one can see not only the approach road into the temple but also Gagyeonsa Temple itself, a siting clearly different from that of other stupas. Examples of stupas placed on a mountainside far from their stele in this way are rare, seen only in a few cases such as the monk's stupa at Ssanggyesa Temple, the Stupa of Buddhist Monk Nangwon at Bohyeonsa Temple, and the Stupa of Buddhist Monk Jeongjin at Bongamsa Temple. The siting of the stupa at a spot offering a good view of its surroundings and of the temple is therefore thought to share the same ideological background as the practice, current from the ninth century, of erecting stone pagodas atop mountains under the geomantic idea of "mountain-and-stream reinforcement" (sancheon bibo), which sought to remedy the land's weak points.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Goesan, Chungbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물