Seated Daeseungsa Temple Rock-carved Buddha

This is a rock-carved seated stone Buddha, 6 metres high and 3.7 metres wide, carved into a large rock between Yunpiram Hermitage and Myojeogam Hermitage, behind Daeseungsa Temple in Jeondu-ri, Sanbuk-myeon, Mungyeong, Gyeongsangbuk-do. It is said that Mireugam Hermitage once stood here, though only traces of it remain today. The rock into which the Buddha is carved leans slightly forward, sheltering it from wind and rain, and a gatbawi — a cap-stone placed over a rock-carved Buddha for protection — has also been installed, so that the statue is in a very good state of preservation. Unusually, two horn-like projections bearing a lotus-flower design rise from the top of the Buddha's head. A rock-carved Buddha of this form is valuable material for research into the evolution of Buddhist styles. The face is oval, the eyes are almost closed, the lips are thick and the ears are long. Whereas rock-carved Buddhas usually show three folds on the neck, this one has only two, departing from the usual style. The robe covers both shoulders; the right hand is raised to shoulder height, while the left arm is held horizontally. The Buddha sits on a pedestal carved with lotus flowers, and the halo behind it is carved with a flame pattern. It can be classed among the rock-carved Buddha images produced on a large scale in the Goryeo period, and overall, with its massive form, its artistic quality and the technique of its detailed carving, it is a work that shows well the characteristics of Goryeo rock-carved Buddhas.

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Where it is

Region

Mungyeong, Gyeongbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산