Hanmisan Mountain Heungguksa Temple Yaksajeon Hall

Heungguksa Temple stands at the south-eastern foot of Hanmisan Mountain. It was founded in the first year of King Munmu of Silla (661) by the monk Wonhyo under the name Heungseoam. No particular records survive from the thousand-odd years following its founding, but a large-scale reconstruction took place in the twelfth year of King Sukjong of Joseon (1686). The temple became especially significant when, in the forty-sixth year of King Yeongjo (1770), the king stopped there on his way to Soryeongwon, the tomb of his birth mother, Royal Noble Consort Suk of the Choe clan; through this connection it became a royal votive temple, and its name was changed to the present Heungguksa (興國寺). It was rebuilt on a large scale again in the fourth year of Emperor Gojong (1867) with funds from the royal treasury, at which time a gwaebul — a huge Buddhist painting hung outdoors for large ceremonies — and other items were produced, bringing the temple to its present form. Yaksajeon Hall of Heungguksa on Hanmisan is the temple's main worship hall, enshrining the Medicine Buddha, who heals the ailments of all living beings. The building is relatively small, three bays across the front and two bays deep, with a hip-and-gable roof whose profile, seen from the side, resembles the Chinese character for "eight" (八). The lotus and dragon-head ornaments carved on the outside and inside of the building well illustrate the decorative tendencies of temple architecture in the late Joseon period.

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Where it is

Region

Goyang, Gyeonggi

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료