Seated Gyeongju Baeriyuneulgok Valley Rock-carved Buddha

These Buddha images are carved into an L-shaped rock face in Yuneulgok, one of the many valleys of Namsan Mountain in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Two figures are carved on the southeast-facing rock face and one on the southwest-facing rock face, forming a triad, though the arrangement is highly unusual. The central Buddha sits on a lotus pedestal. The topknot-shaped bun of hair on the crown of the head is unusually tall and large, and the face is a long oval. The jaw is rendered somewhat angular, giving a slightly stern impression, but the narrowed eyes and smiling mouth give an overall gentle expression. The right hand is badly worn so its exact form is unclear, but it appears to show the palm with the fingertips pointing upward, while the left hand is lowered over the knee with the fingertips pointing toward the ground. The Buddha on the right is somewhat smaller than the principal image and appears rather cramped. The full, rounded face gives a soft impression, while the body, with both shoulders raised, is rendered in a square shape; the upper body is short compared with the long lower body, giving poorly balanced proportions. The right hand rests on the knee with the fingers slightly bent, and the left hand is held at the abdomen holding a medicine bowl, suggesting that this figure represents the Medicine Buddha. The Buddha on the left is the least skilfully carved of the three. The nearly square face lacks finished detail, with the jaw and outline rendered only in simple lines, giving an overall impression that is not very lifelike; the body, too, is square, flat, and lacking in volume. On the left side of the halo of the left-hand Buddha is carved the inscription "the ninth year of Taehwa, the year eulmyo", which reveals that these Buddha images were carved in the tenth year of King Heungdeok of Silla (835). They form a highly important example for the study of Unified Silla Buddhist sculptural style in the first half of the ninth century.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Gyeongju, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산