Dongsong-eup Rock-carved Buddha Statue

This is a standing rock-carved Buddha cut into a huge rock face partway up the eastern slope of Mt. Geumhaksan, 350 m above sea level, in Dongsong-eup, Cheorwon-gun, Gangwon State. Facing south-east, the statue stands 576 cm tall overall, with the body measuring 450 cm and the head 134 cm. The body was carved directly into the rock face, while the head was made from a separate stone and set into the body to join the two. In contrast to the flat body, the head is rendered three-dimensionally, joined to a thick, long cylindrical neck bearing clearly carved "three lines" (samdo), the traditional creases symbolising Buddhist virtue. Above the bald crown is a tall, topknot-shaped cranial protuberance (usnisa), and the face is a long, rounded rectangle with a gentle, benign expression. The hands are rendered with relatively realistic, graceful lines: the right hand hangs down with its back facing outward, the middle and little fingers bent to hold the hem of the robe lightly; the left hand is held before the chest with the palm facing outward, its middle and little fingers likewise bent. Scattered around the rock-carved Buddha are fragments of a stone pagoda thought to date from the early Goryeo period, together with a lotus-shaped stone believed to have served as a pedestal.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Cheorwon, Gangwon

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료