Stone Lantern of Beomeosa Temple

This stone lantern stands within Beomeosa Temple. Stone lanterns are usually placed in front of the main hall or a pagoda; this one too originally stood in front of Yonghwajeon Hall, but during the Japanese colonial period its site was exchanged with that of the temple's bell pavilion. The lantern has the usual form of a three-tiered base topped by a fire-housing stone (hwasaseok), which holds the light, and a roof stone, with every part forming an octagon. In the base, a central pillar-stone stands between the lower and upper stones: the lower stone is carved with an inverted lotus design and the upper stone with an upright, blooming lotus design, creating a symmetrical effect. The fire-housing stone has a square window on each of its four sides; around the edges of the windows, traces remain of ten holes once used to fit window panels. The roof stone's eight corners curve up slightly, and at the top a jewel-shaped ornament (bojoo) survives above a square dew-basin (noban) as the finial. The central pillar of the base, repaired at a later date, is slender, while the upper stone above it is too thick, so the two fail to harmonise and the lantern appears somewhat unstable. According to tradition it was made in 678, the 18th year of King Munmu of Unified Silla, three years after the monk Uisang erected the Three-storey Stone Pagoda of Beomeosa Temple (Treasure No. 250); however, on stylistic grounds it is thought to date from around the ninth century, the late Unified Silla period.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Geumjeong-gu, Busan

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산