Cheongnyongsa Temple Memorial Stele

The Cheongnyongsa Temple Memorial Stele was erected in 1721, the first year of King Gyeongjong of Joseon, to commemorate the renovation of Cheongnyongsa Temple on Seounsan Mountain, and it stands at the temple entrance, where a group of stupas (budo) is also found. It consists of a stele body set on a rectangular base and topped with a capstone carved with intertwined dragons (isu). The body is of granite, but the inscription is so worn in many places that it can no longer be read. The epitaph and preface were composed by Na Jun, written out by Hwang Ha-min, and the seal-script title was written by Kim Jin-sang. The inscription records the temple's history in sequence: the preface tells how, during the Goryeo Jijeong era (1341-1367), the monk Naong rebuilt the temple, and how in 1720, the 46th year of King Sukjong, a Buddhist adept carried out a further renovation; it also records that King Sejo granted the temple land and ritual implements, and that Grand Prince Inpyeong made it his private votive temple (wondang) and gave it his protection. The epitaph largely repeats the preface, but differs at the end, where it gives the reason for raising the stele: although those who enter the Western Paradise make no distinction between emptiness and existence, the stele was set up before the temple gate solely to hand down these meritorious deeds to later generations. The epitaph closes by dating the stele's erection to 1720, the 46th year of King Sukjong.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Anseong, Gyeonggi

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산