Heungguksa Temple Daeungbojeon Hall

'Daeungbojeon Hall' is the name given to a Buddhist hall enshrining an image of Shakyamuni Buddha; among the halls of a temple, it is the principal, central building. Heungguksa Temple, on Suraksan Mountain in Namyangju, was sponsored by the royal court to pray for the repose of Deokheung Daewongun, the father of King Seonjo. The building seen today was rebuilt in 1821 after a series of fires and renovated again in 1888. The building stands on a foundation of long granite blocks, with its body formed of round-dressed cornerstones and round columns. The roof is an elaborate hipped-and-gabled roof which, seen from the side, takes the shape of the Chinese character 八 (eight). At each of the four corners of the roof, slender posts called hwalju stand apart from the building; these are installed to support the eaves where they project beyond the building's walls, to stop the ends from sagging. Between the eaves and the columns, bracket sets (gongpo) — fittings that bear the weight of the building while making it look splendid — are installed all the way around, front, back and both sides. On the front of the building, four door panels are fitted to each bay, while the sides and rear are finished with earthen walls painted with murals. Inside, the floor is laid with wooden boards, and tall interior columns, higher than the outer columns, are set up to form the altar. The building is richly decorated inside and out with dancheong, traditional multicoloured paintwork, and dragon carvings have been specially added to the bracket sets at the corner columns, showing the splendour typical of late-Joseon Buddhist halls. The roof ridge is also fitted with figural roof-tile ornaments (japsang), a special type of roof tile otherwise used only on particularly important palace buildings; their presence here symbolically shows that this was a place where, under royal patronage, prayers were offered for the peace of the nation.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Namyangju, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료