Gwangju Sipsinsa Temple Epitaph Tablet Stele

This stele remained at the former site of Sipsinsa Temple and was moved to the Gwangju Museum of History and Folk Customs on 11 October 1990. It consists of a tortoise-shaped base topped by the stele body and a roof stone. The tortoise base is almost square, and its back bears the character 王 (king) carved within hexagonal, honeycomb-like cells. Atop the elongated stele body sits a roof stone imitating wooden architecture, now slightly damaged. On the front of the stele body, Sanskrit characters (beomja, a Buddhist script) are carved at the top, with the inscription carved vertically below them; for this reason it is also called the 'Beomjabi', or Sanskrit-character stele. The inscription contains prayers to ward off disease and pray for long life. The character 王 carved on the tortoise's back appears to be a Goryeo-period element, but the roof stone imitating wooden architecture and the stylised, formalised tortoise base suggest that this is an early Joseon work carrying on Goryeo traditions. During repair work in February 1978, the characters for 'jeongsa year' were found at the end of the inscription, leading to the conclusion that the stele was erected in 1437, the nineteenth year of King Sejong of Joseon. Together with steles at Haeju in Hwanghae Province and Yongcheon in North Pyongan Province, it is one of only a few surviving Sanskrit-character steles, and is highly valued.

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Where it is

Region

Buk-gu, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산