Yeongam Chaejirimaehyang Stele

Maehyangbi are steles recording the time, place and participating groups connected with a maehyang (incense-burying) ritual, erected after fragrant wood was buried in the ground. The maehyang ritual was a form of Maitreya worship, in which people hoped that the buried wood would serve as a link connecting them to Maitreya so that their wishes would be granted. A suitable site for such a stele is where a valley stream meets the sea, and this stele stands close to Haenam Bay, Namgyeongpo and Chundong Reservoir, which together provide the right conditions. The inscription is carved directly onto the surface of a rough, unshaped natural stone. The characters are irregular in form and the content is difficult to make out, but it appears, in general, to record the donors who took part in the ritual and the place where the wood was buried. According to the inscription, the stele was erected in 1430, the twelfth year of King Sejong of Joseon. Five such maehyangbi are known to survive today in South Jeolla Province.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Yeongam, Jeonnam & Gwangju

Designation

Cultural Heritage Material · 문화유산자료