Yulriyeongchuksa Temple Site

Yulriyeongchuksa Temple Site is surrounded by the ridges and hills of Yeongchuksan Mountain, Munsusan Mountain and Namamsan Mountain, and lies on the flat land at the foot of Yeongchuksan Mountain. Manghaesa Temple Site and Cheongsongsa Temple Site, both Unified Silla-period temples, lie within about 1 km of the site, showing that this area was a centre of Buddhist culture in Ulsan during the Unified Silla period. The origin of the temple's founding can be traced in the Samguk yusa. In 683, the third year of King Sinmun, the minister Chungwon-gong, returning from bathing at a hot spring, saw a pheasant being chased by a hawk fly into a well north of the county office of Guljeong-hyeon. The pheasant spread its wings to shelter its two chicks, and the hawk did not seize it; moved by this, Chungwon-gong judged the place fit for a temple. He reported this to the king, who had the county office relocated and a temple built on the spot. Before the Ulsan Museum's excavation in 2012, the components of a Unified Silla-style three-storey stone pagoda lay scattered to the east and west of the site, a stone turtle-shaped stele base (gwibu) was found to the south, and roof-tile fragments inscribed with the characters for "Yeongchuk" were collected nearby. The first excavation confirmed the remains of a Unified Silla main hall, east and west pagodas, a middle-gate site, and the lower stone of a stone lantern, showing a typical Unified Silla temple layout with twin pagodas centred on the main hall. The main hall site is square, five bays to the front and five to the side — a form not otherwise confirmed anywhere else in the country, making it highly unusual. The east and west pagodas are typical eighth-century Unified Silla three-storey stone pagodas, complete with base, body and finial. In addition, the lower stone of a stone lantern and a middle-gate site of three bays by one bay were confirmed, revealing the basic temple layout of main hall, pagodas, stone lantern and middle gate. Artefacts recovered include fragments of stone monuments and a gilt-bronze Buddha statue. The site is regarded as highly significant for the study of Buddhist culture in the Ulsan region.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Ulju, Ulsan

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물