Bulguksa
Bulguksa is a temple of Korean Buddhism in Gyeongju in South Korea. It was designated as a historic site number 502 by Korean government.[1] In 1995, Bulguksa was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.[2] It is known as one of the tourist attractions in Korea, where over 2 million people are visiting each year. It includes Dabotap(Korea's national treasure number 20) and Seokgatap(Korea's national treasure number 21), Cheongun-gyo(Blue Cloud Bridge, Korea's national treasure number 23) and Backun-gyo(White Cloud Bridge, Korea's national treasure number 23), and two gilt-bronze statues(Korea's national treasure number 26, 27) of Buddha.[3]
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Gyeongju, South Korea |
| Criteria | Cultural: i, iv |
| Reference | 736 |
| Inscription | 1995 (19th Session) |
| Website | www |
| Coordinates | 35°47′24″N 129°19′56″E / 35.79000°N 129.33222°E |
| Bulguksa | |
|---|---|
| Hangul | 불국사 |
| Hanja | 佛國寺 |
| Revised Romanization | <span title="Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Language/data/ISO 639 override' not found. transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">Bulguksa |
| McCune–Reischauer | <span title="Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Language/data/ISO 639 override' not found. transliteration" class="Unicode" style="white-space:normal; text-decoration: none">Pulguksa |
History
The temple was made in the Silla kingdom, the golden age of Buddhist art. According to Samguk yusa (Three Kingdoms of Korea's history book), the temple had begun to be constructed under King Kyeongdeok in 751 and completed in 774. Kim Daeseong, the Prime Minister of Silla, decided to construct this temple in order to cherish the memory of his parents. The name of the temple 'Bulguk' means the country of Buddha. He wanted to his parents live happily in the Buddha's country after they died.
Bulguksa has been reconstructed thoroughout history. Especially in the Japanese colonial era, it was damaged a lot and lost its valuable treasures. After the independence of the Republic of Korea, Korean government started to reconstruct and reorganize the temple.
National Treasures in Bulguksa
Dabotap and Seokgatap (Num 21, 22) Dabotap is well known for its feminine and sophisticated beauty. Its height is 10.4m and it is representative of Korea's unique pagodas. Seokgatap is relatively simple and masculine compared to Dabotap. Its height is also 10.4, which makes Dabotap and Seokgatap the twin pagodas in Bulguksa.
Chengun-gyo (Num 23) At the entrance of Bulguksa is Chengun-gyo. It is said that the bridge links the human world to the world of Buddhist. It is decorated with stones very beautifully and its structure is so solid that it can withstand earthquakes.
Bulguksa Media
Ruins of the Bulguksa Temple in 1914, before restoration
This media shows the cultural heritage monument in South Korea with the number:
- Seokgatapbulguksa
불국사 청운교, 백운교
Stupa containing the relics of priests or a queen. It is classified by the South Korean government as Treasure No. 61. This unique stupa is located in the Bulguksa temple of South Korea.
Bulguksa, Gyeongju, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea
Museoljeon, Hall of No Words
References
- KOREA TOURISM ORGANIZATION Archived 2012-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
- [1]
- National treasure of Korea Archived 2013-01-01 at the Wayback Machine
Other websites
- Official Site of Korea Tourism Org : Bulguksa Archived 2012-10-03 at the Wayback Machine
