Daeungjeon Hall of Gosansa Temple

The history of Gosansa Temple is not clearly known, but tradition at the temple holds that it was founded in 886, the first year of King Jeonggang of Silla, by State Preceptor Doseon, and rebuilt in 1636, the 14th year of King Injo, by the Venerable Sudeung. When Daeungjeon Hall was repaired, a ridge-beam inscription reading "Beopjangsa Temple, Beopjangsan Mountain" was discovered, revealing that Gosansa's old name had been Beopjangsa. The temple grounds today are centred on Daeungjeon Hall, behind which stands a shrine to the mountain spirit of one bay across the front and one bay along the side; to the right of Daeungjeon Hall is an L-shaped Dharma hall and monks' quarters, and to the front left of Daeungjeon Hall stand two stupas. The building's position and a stone pagoda suggest the temple dates from the Goryeo period. Daeungjeon Hall has three bays across the front and three along the side, with a gabled roof and double eaves, an extra layer of rafters having been added at the eaves. Its bracket sets are arranged with four tiers projecting inward and three outward, giving the interior more projecting tiers than the exterior — a construction style typical of the late Joseon period. A single bracket set is placed between the columns on each side elevation, indicating that the roof was originally hipped-and-gabled rather than the plain gabled roof seen today. Inside, the floor is laid with wooden boards, and an altar has been built along the west end, on which sits a single east-facing image of Sakyamuni Buddha. The painting behind the Buddha was made in 1815, the 15th year of King Sunjo, at Unmunsa Temple in Cheongdo. The interior of the hall is especially richly decorated with lotus motifs and dragons, a taste for such lavish decoration having become common from the mid-Joseon period onward.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Dong-gu, Daejeon

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산