Tomb of King Heungdeok, Gyeongju

This is the tomb of King Heungdeok (r. 826-836), the 42nd ruler of Silla, and is a royal tomb whose burial system is fully developed. King Heungdeok's given name was Kim Su-jong, also known as Gyeonghwi, and he was the younger brother of the 41st ruler, King Heondeok. He had Jang Bogo establish Cheonghaejin garrison on Wando Island to defend the western coast, and had tea seeds brought from Tang China planted and cultivated on Jirisan Mountain. The tomb is a round earthen mound 20.8m in diameter and 6m high. It is a relatively large round mound, with retaining stones placed at its base to protect it. For the retaining stones, a course of stones serving as a foundation was first laid on the ground, and broad upright stones were set up on top; pillar-like supporting stones were fitted between the upright stones, and on each of these figures of the twelve zodiac spirits were carved according to direction. A covering stone was laid over the supporting and upright stones to finish the structure. At each of the four corners around the tomb a stone lion was placed, and a pair each of civil and military officials' stone statues were set up to the left and right in front. A stele was erected to the front left of the tomb, but today only the damaged turtle-shaped base that once supported it remains. The location of the tomb recorded in the Samguk yusa broadly matches this tomb, and fragments of a stele bearing the characters for "Heungdeok" found around the tomb support the identification of this as King Heungdeok's tomb. In its overall layout and the style of its decorative features, the tomb closely follows the models of the tombs of King Seongdeok and King Wonseong. The official name of the site was changed from Silla Heungdeokwangneung to Gyeongju Heungdeokwangneung (Tomb of King Heungdeok, Gyeongju) by notification of 28 July 2011.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Historic Site · 사적