Bunhwangsa Temple

Bunhwangsa was founded in 634 and its pagoda is the oldest datable one in Silla - and unlike every other Korean pagoda it is built of stone cut into small brick-like blocks and laid in courses, imitating the fired-brick pagodas of Tang China. Three storeys survive; the original is thought to have been considerably taller, though how much is disputed. Four stone guardian figures are carved on the door jambs at the base, and a pair of stone lions sits at the corners. Repair in 1915 recovered a reliquary with scissors, needles and coins inside. The monk Wonhyo, the most influential thinker in Korean Buddhism, was associated with this temple, and a memorial stone base for a stele about him remains in the grounds. The rest of the compound is small and modern - a hall, a well of Silla stonework, a courtyard. It sits directly beside the empty Hwangnyongsa field.

What you actually see

• The stone-brick pagoda - three surviving storeys, cut to imitate brick.
• The guardian carvings - figures on the door jambs.
• The corner lions - stone animals at the base.
• The Silla well - old stonework in the courtyard.

When to go

April to June and September to November. It is quiet compared with central Gyeongju and takes under an hour.

Honest expectations

Apart from the pagoda there is very little - the temple around it is small and mostly modern. Ticketed. Combine with Hwangnyongsa next door or it is a thin stop.

Nearby

Hwangnyongsa site is adjacent; Cheomseongdae and the old town are a short ride.