Mangdeoksa Temple Site, Gyeongju

This temple site lies at the foot of Nangsan Mountain in Gyeongju, facing Sacheonwangsa Temple. Exactly when it was first built is unclear, but tradition places it in the reign of King Munmu or King Sinmun of Silla. According to the Samguk yusa, when Tang China invaded in the nineteenth year of King Munmu (679), Sacheonwangsa Temple was built to repel the invaders with the power of the Buddha. When word of this reached Tang, the Tang court sent an envoy to verify it; Silla built this temple facing Sacheonwangsa Temple to show the envoy, and named it Mangdeoksa, meaning 'gazing upon the virtue [of Tang]', in a gesture of admiration for Tang's virtue. In the fourteenth year of King Gyeongdeok (755), the pagoda shook, and since this coincided with the outbreak of the An Lushan Rebellion in China, the people of Silla took it to mean that the temple, having been built for Tang's sake, was affected by Tang's misfortune. The Samguk yusa also records that at the banquet held after the temple's completion, King Hyoso failed to recognise the true incarnation of Sakyamuni and was mocked for it, and tells the story of the monk Seon-yul, who died while copying the Prajnaparamita Sutra and was brought back to life so that he could finish the task. At the site today remain the foundations of the east and west wooden pagodas, with the Golden Hall and lecture hall to their north, the middle gate to the south, and the surrounding cloister, showing the twin-pagoda layout typical of Unified Silla temples. South of the middle gate site the stairway foundation is well preserved, and to its west a flagpole support (a treasure) still stands. Together with Hwangnyongsa, Sacheonwangsa and Hwangboksa, this temple was one of the important temples of Gyeongju, and it carries great significance for that reason.

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Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적