Bomunsa Temple

Bomunsa sits on the western slope of Nakgasan on Seokmodo, and it is counted among the three main Korean temples dedicated to Gwanseeum Bosal, the bodhisattva of compassion, the others being Naksansa on the east coast and Boriam in the south. Its foundation is traditionally put in the seventh century. Two things are worth the climb. In a natural cave beside the halls stand twenty-two stone Buddha figures, said by tradition to have been pulled from the sea in a fisherman's net. And on the cliff far above the temple is the Maaeseokbul, a seated Buddha carved in relief into the rock in 1928, about ten metres tall, reached by a stone stairway of several hundred steps up the hillside - from the platform in front of it the view runs west over the temple roofs, the island's fields and the West Sea, and the sunset from there is what most visitors are timing for.

What you actually see

• The cliff Buddha - the ten-metre relief above the temple.
• The cave figures - the twenty-two stone Buddhas in the grotto.
• The stone stairway - several hundred steps up the hillside.
• The sunset - the West Sea from the upper platform.

When to go

April to June and October to November; late afternoon for the sunset, which is the reason for timing a visit. The steps are hard in summer heat.

Honest expectations

The stair to the cliff Buddha is long and steep with no shade - the main effort of the visit. Ticketed. It is a working temple; dress modestly and keep quiet in the halls.

Nearby

Seokmodo's salt farms and seawater spa are on the island; Ganghwa is over the bridge.