Beopjusa Temple

Every Korean temple once had a wooden pagoda and almost all of them burned. Beopjusa has the survivor: Palsangjeon, five storeys of timber rising over the courtyard, rebuilt in the early seventeenth century after the earlier one was lost, with painted scenes from the life of the Buddha inside. Around it stand much older pieces, including a stone lantern carried on two facing lions and an enormous iron cauldron from the years when the community ran to thousands. Dominating all of it is a gilt bronze Maitreya of the 1990s, tall enough to see from the car park. The walk in from the park gate goes through good old forest.

History

The Silla monk Uisin founded the temple in 553 and named it Beopju, residence of the Dharma, after the Indian sutras he brought back and kept there, and it became associated with Beopsang thought and the worship of the Maitreya Buddha. In the Goryeo period it is said to have housed as many as 3,000 monks, and a cistern and an iron pot from those years for feeding them survive; its wooden pagoda, Palsangjeon, the tallest in Korea, was burned with most of the buildings during the Japanese invasions and rebuilt in 1624. The temple shrank as state support for Buddhism faded under the Joseon dynasty, whose founder Taejo is said to have retired near Beopjusa, weary of his sons' quarrels (Wikipedia, Beopjusa).

The main sights

• Palsangjeon - the five-storey wooden pagoda, the last of its kind in Korea.
• The twin lion lantern - a stone lantern carried on two facing lions.
• The iron cauldron - the great vessel left from the temple's largest years.
• The forest approach - the walk in from the park gate under old trees.

When to go

Autumn colour in Songnisan is the busiest and the best time, with car parks full on October weekends. Spring is quieter and the approach walk greener. Come early to have the courtyard before the coach groups arrive. The walk from the park gate takes about twenty minutes each way, and parking is charged separately.

What to expect

The huge gilded modern Buddha sits awkwardly beside the old buildings and plenty of visitors find it swamps them. The site is heavily restored and busy. Songnisan in autumn means slow traffic on the approach road and queues at the gate. A long run of souvenir stalls and restaurants comes before you reach the woods.

Nearby

Songnisan's ridge trails start behind the temple; Cheongju is about an hour and a half away.

Key facts