Tomb of King Seongdeok, Gyeongju

This is the tomb of King Seongdeok (r. 702-737), the 33rd ruler of Silla, set in a pine forest on a hill to the southeast of the road running from Gyeongju towards Bulguksa Temple. King Seongdeok was the son of King Sinmun, and his given name was Yunggi. He actively exchanged envoys with Tang China and led Silla through its most politically stable golden age. According to the Samguk sagi, when the king died in 737 he was buried to the south of Igeosa Temple; a temple site presumed to be Igeosa now lies to the north of the tomb. The tomb measures 46m around its base and 5m in height. Retaining stones were placed at the base of the mound to protect it: upright stones about 90cm high were set in a ring, and above them a covering stone was laid. Between the upright stones, pillar-like supporting stones were fitted in to hold them in place, and outside these, triangular stones were set up as supports. Between the triangular supporting stones are figures of the twelve zodiac spirits, carved standing on square stones and wearing armour with weapons in hand, though the carvings are now badly damaged. A stone table stands in front of the tomb, and stone lions are placed at each of the four corners around it. It appears that a pair each of civil and military officials' stone statues once stood to either side in front of the stone table, but today only one military official's statue and one stone figure surviving only from the waist up remain. The realistic carving technique seen in the stonework of King Seongdeok's tomb belongs to the early style of Unified Silla, and the tomb is a fully developed example of a Unified Silla royal tomb. The official name of the site was changed from Silla Seongdeokwangneung to Gyeongju Seongdeokwangneung (Tomb of King Seongdeok, Gyeongju) by notification of 28 July 2011.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적