Wando Island Beopwasa Temple Site

The Beopwasa temple site lies below Sangwangsan Mountain, about 2 km northwest of Cheonghaejin on Jangdo Island. Oral tradition handed down by local residents, together with documentary records, suggests that Beopwasa was built by Jang Bo-go (?–846) in the late Unified Silla period and was closely connected with his maritime activities. At the time, the temple is said to have served as a resting place for monks who had travelled to Tang China in search of the Dharma, as part of the overseas spread of Silla culture, and also to have functioned as a guesthouse for missions sent from Tang China to Japan. It also maintained exchanges with Beophwawon, a temple at Jeoksan Village in Shandong Province, China. Beophwawon is likewise said to have been a Unified Silla temple built by Jang Bo-go, where Korean monks, and Japanese monks in particular, stayed and received much assistance. The Beopwasa site is now farmed as paddy and dry fields, and many roof-tile fragments have been found in the surrounding area.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Wando, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Provincial Monument · 시도기념물