Stone Arhat Statues Group of Gosansa Temple, Jecheon

These are arhat statues enshrined in Eungjinjeon Hall of Gosansa Temple on Waryongsan Mountain, in Deoksan-myeon, Jecheon, Chungcheongbuk-do. "Nahan" is short for arhat, referring to a saint holding the highest rank among practitioners of Theravada Buddhism. In Korea, the statues of the Ten Great Disciples at Seokguram Grotto in Gyeongju are ranked among the finest examples of the type. According to temple records, Gosansa Temple was founded by State Preceptor Doseon at the end of Silla and the beginning of Goryeo. However, since the roof-tile fragments, celadon shards, and other relics recovered from the temple site are mostly from the Goryeo through Joseon periods, this cannot be confirmed with certainty. The arhat statues enshrined in Eungjinjeon Hall, together with a statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, are presumed to have been made in the mid-Joseon period. Joseon-period arhat statues were usually made of plaster or clay, but these are carved from stone, making them an extremely rare example. They constitute valuable material for tracing part of the Joseon-era veneration of arhats in the Chungcheongbuk-do region.

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Where it is

Region

Jecheon, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산