Chamseongdan Altar, Ganghwa

Located on Manisan Mountain, this altar is said to have been built by Dangun to hold rites to Heaven. It was repaired in the eleventh year of King Wonjong of Goryeo (1270), and again in the seventeenth year of King Injo of Joseon (1639) and the twenty-sixth year of King Sukjong (1700). Because it has been repaired and rebuilt so many times, its original form can no longer be traced. The altar consists of a lower platform, built in a round shape of natural stones, and an upper platform, built in a square shape; the round lower platform is said to symbolise Heaven, and the square upper platform to symbolise Earth. This form resembles Cheomseongdae Observatory in Gyeongju. The Goryeo and Joseon dynasties sometimes held Taoist-style rites here. In the late Joseon period, as interest in Dangun grew, a tendency arose to understand Chamseongdan Altar in connection with the religion of the Dangun era; after the emergence of Daejonggyo, a religion venerating Dangun, during the Japanese colonial period, the altar came to be regarded as a sacred site of the Korean nation. Even today, a rite to Heaven is held here every year on Gaecheonjeol (National Foundation Day), and the torch for the National Sports Festival is lit here using solar heat. It cannot be stated with certainty that Chamseongdan Altar is indeed Dangun's altar for rites to Heaven; however, the presence of Bronze Age dolmens on Ganghwado Island, together with legends associated with Dangun handed down in the area, suggests that a significant political power had already formed here in ancient times.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ganghwa, Incheon

Designation

Historic Site · 사적