Standing Stone Avalokitesvara of Bimarasa Temple, Boeun

Bimarasa Temple was founded in 1999 west of Songnisan Mountain, in a place popularly known as Bucheobawigol (Buddha Rock Valley). The stone bodhisattva statue is said to have been recovered nearby by the temple's abbot, and had been entirely unknown until then. The body of the Buddha and the pedestal survive, but the halo has been lost; the body had been broken at the neck and waist and has since been rejoined. The statue is 151 cm in total height, with a head height of 27 cm, shoulder width of 34 cm, pedestal height of 14 cm, pedestal diameter of 54 cm, and chest width of 23 cm. It wears a jewelled crown on its head — a three-sided crown with a manifestation Buddha at the centre — which identifies it as Avalokitesvara. Judging from the full, gentle facial features, the treatment of the celestial robe, the ornamentation of both arms, and the refined style and technique of the body, it is thought to have been made in the Unified Silla period. It was carved from a single block of granite, with the standing figure and pedestal cut from the same stone, standing upright on the pedestal. The nose and ears are considerably worn, reportedly because local residents who held superstitious beliefs scraped material from them. At one time a young man from the village stole the statue and was carrying it off when villagers stopped him; the neck and body are said to have broken during the removal, and they have since been mended with cement.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Boeun, Chungbuk

Designation

Provincial Tangible Heritage · 시도유형문화유산