Three-story Stone Pagoda at Changnimsa Temple Site in Namsan Mountain, Gyeongju

Excavations at the Changnimsa Temple Site, where the three-story stone pagoda stands, have confirmed that the site had the same kind of tiered, compartmentalised layout found in Unified Silla temple complexes such as Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju, and that in the course of the temple's expansion a new area was added in which a stone pagoda carved with the Eight Legions of guardian deities — namely, this three-story pagoda — was erected. The date of the pagoda's construction is presumed to be around the reign of King Munseong of Silla (around 855), based on the Mugujeongtapwongi, a votive inscription record found in the reliquary cavity of one of the three stone pagodas at the Changnimsa Temple Site. The pagoda has a double-tiered base surmounted by a three-storey body, the typical form of a Silla three-story stone pagoda. The base consists of upper and lower tiers; the lower tier is carved from a single stone, divided into the lower foundation face-stone and the ground stone, and each face stone bears three engaged pillars (taengju). The number of these pillars is the most visible indicator of the pagoda's stylistic development, and provides an important clue for dating this pagoda's construction to the early Unified Silla period (the end of the seventh century). There is also a view that the lower base, made up of ten stones, represents an older style than the bases of the Hwangboksa Temple pagoda and the Janghang-ri pagoda, both made of eight stones and dated to around the same period. In particular, the face stones of the upper base are carved in relief with images of the Eight Legions, with a single engaged pillar, giving a highly ornate appearance. At present, however, only one figure survives on the south face, two on the west face and one on the north face; the remaining face stones have been replaced with new material and no longer show their original appearance. The carvings of the Eight Legions on the Changnimsa pagoda are highly valued for their scale and level of finish. Among Korean stone pagodas with carvings of the Eight Legions — such as the brick pagoda at the Beopheungsa Temple Site in Andong, the Four-Lion Pagoda at Hwaeomsa Temple, the pagoda at the Inyongsa Temple Site, and the pagoda at Jinjeonsa Temple — and when its carving technique is compared with other pagodas such as the Janghang-ri Temple Site pagoda, carved with Vajra guardian images, or the Wonwonsa Temple Site pagoda, carved with the Twelve Zodiac Deities and the Four Heavenly Kings, the Changnimsa pagoda is recognised as in no way inferior in artistic skill. During restoration in 1976, the second- and third-storey pagoda bodies, four of the upper Eight Legions relief stones, and some of the base stones were replaced with new material, and the pagoda now lacks its finial, so much of its original form has been damaged. Nevertheless, the Changnimsa Temple Site occupies an important place in Silla history, its pagoda's location has been confirmed through excavation of the site, and among the stone pagodas preserved on Namsan Mountain in Gyeongju, it is the largest and most ornate. Furthermore, examining the pagoda's construction technique through the members that retain their original form — its scale, the composition of the base, and the carving style of the Eight Legions on the upper base's face stones — makes it a valuable resource for tracing the development of Silla stone pagoda design.

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Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Treasure · 보물