Gongju Yeongeunsa Temple Bronze Temple Bell

This is a Joseon-period bronze temple bell kept at Yeongeunsa Temple within Gongsanseong Fortress. According to the Gongsanji, a gazetteer of Gongju compiled in the nineteenth century, Yeongeunsa Temple is said to have been founded during the Baekje period, but since the stone pagoda materials scattered around the temple date from the early Goryeo period, it is presumed that the temple was actually founded at that time. According to another account, it was founded in 1458, the fourth year of King Sejo, by his royal command. An inscription recording the bell's casting is found on the body of the bell, giving its date and place of manufacture and the names of the craftsmen. According to this inscription, the bell was cast in March 1715 at Munsusa Temple in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, using 150 geun of bronze — a traditional Korean unit of weight — by craftsmen including Hyeonhae and Sa-ik. At the top of the bell's body is a dragon-shaped hook, rendered very realistically, in the form of a dragon lifting the bell. Thirty-two Sanskrit characters are engraved on the upper band, and below the upper band four raised panels are arranged, each decorated in relief with nine bosses set within an eight-petalled lotus base. Between the panels are carved figures of bodhisattvas with hands joined in prayer.

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Where it is

Region

Gongju, Chungnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산