Heungguksa Temple

Heungguksa Temple is a branch temple of Hwaeomsa Temple under the Jogye Order, founded in 1196, the twenty-sixth year of King Myeongjong of Goryeo, by State Preceptor Bojo, Jinul. While searching for a place to practise, Jinul is said to have been told by a mysterious old monk that "the nation will flourish" if a temple were built here, and so he built the temple on this site and named it Heungguksa. It was burned down during the Mongol invasions and rebuilt in the Joseon period, but its Dharma hall and monks' quarters were completely destroyed again during the Imjin War and the Jeongyu War; Great Master Gyeteuk rebuilt the temple in 1624, the second year of King Injo. The temple is situated where Jillyesan Mountain and Yeongchwisan Mountain, a branch of the range running down from Jirisan Mountain at the southern end of the Baekdudaegan toward Yeosu, curve around the site like the petals of a lotus. It holds wooden buildings including Daeungjeon Hall, Palsangjeon Hall, Wontongjeon Hall and Musajeon Hall, together with many items of national heritage, among them the painting behind the Buddha altar in Daeungjeon Hall, the Rocana Buddha gwaebul painting (a huge Buddhist painting hung outdoors for great ceremonies), the Water-Moon Avalokitesvara painting, the Painting of the Sixteen Arhats, and Honggyo, an arched stone bridge.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeosu, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료