Master Mangwolsahyegeo Stupa

The Master Mangwolsahyegeo Stupa stands at the foot of the ridge that rises to the west of Mangwolsa Temple. The stupa is octagonal in plan throughout. Its ground stone is assembled from eight large slabs joined into an octagon, and above it the base narrows as it rises, arranged like three tiers of pedestals: the first and second tiers have angular corners, while the third is rounded. An octagonal capstone is set on top of these, with a single moulded ridge on its upper face to hold the spherical body stone firmly in place. The lower part of the body stone is decorated with a lotus design. The roof stone, a stone that covers the top of a stone pagoda or stone lantern the way a roof does, has two tiers of supports underneath, and although the treatment of the eaves and the sloping drip-line is simplified, it still evokes the roof of a timber building. The finial is completed with a jewel-shaped ornament set on a pedestal decorated with a lotus design. The stupa and its accompanying stone lantern at Mangwolsa Temple display the style of the early Joseon period, yet Venerable Hyegeo was a monk who was chiefly active during the Goryeo dynasty. This mismatch between the stupa's style and the time of the monk's death raises questions. Even so, various circumstances suggest that the stupa was newly built at a later date to commemorate and honour Venerable Hyegeo. The Master Mangwolsahyegeo Stupa is an important record as a rare surviving example of an early Joseon stupa.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산