Bongeunsa Temple

Bongeunsa was founded in 794 and for much of the Joseon period was the head temple of the Seon school, which makes it considerably older than anything around it - the temple sits on a wooded hillside directly opposite the COEX convention centre and the towers of Samseong, and the juxtaposition of tiled roofs against glass is the standard photograph. Up the slope behind the halls stands the Mireuk Daebul, a stone Maitreya of twenty-three metres completed in 1996, one of the tallest stone Buddhas in the country. The Panjeon hall holds over three thousand woodblocks of Buddhist scripture carved in the nineteenth century, including the Avatamsaka Sutra, and is the oldest building on the site. There is a well-known templestay programme in English, a temple food restaurant, and the courtyards fill with lotus lanterns before Buddha's birthday. It is free, open early, and the quietest place in Gangnam.

What to look for

• The stone Maitreya - the twenty-three-metre Buddha on the slope.
• Panjeon - the scripture hall and its woodblocks.
• The city contrast - tiled roofs against the COEX towers.
• The lantern season - lotus lanterns through the courtyards in spring.

When to go

Year-round; April and May for the lanterns. Early morning for the chanting and for the hillside before the district wakes up.

Good to know

It is a working temple in a business district - quiet inside, loud outside. Halls have shoe and photography rules. The stone Buddha is modern, not ancient.

Nearby

COEX and the Starfield library are across the road; Seolleung tombs are a short walk west.

Key facts