Rock-carved Buddhas in Dojeon-ri, Sancheong

These figures are carved into the natural rock face on the south side of a hill known locally as Bucheodeom ("Buddha Mound"), in Dojeon-ri, Saengbiryang-myeon, Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, and about twenty-nine survive today. They are carved in rows across four tiers on the cliff face — fourteen in the first tier, nine in the second, three in the third and three in the fourth — each roughly 30 cm in size. Most sit on a lotus pedestal; the faces are round and refined, but the eyes, nose and mouth are badly worn. The bodies are squarish yet neatly proportioned, and the robes, covering both shoulders, are rendered in dense, closely packed folds, features that strongly recall Buddhist sculpture of the late Silla and early Goryeo periods, and especially of the Goryeo period. Although carved in broadly similar form, they show some variation in detail, such as the shape of the robes and the hand gestures. This unusual grouping of Buddha figures is notable as a distinctive form of arrangement for its time, and further in-depth study is expected to reveal its importance still more clearly.

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Where it is

Region

Sancheong, Gyeongnam

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산