Gatbawi Buddha

Near the eastern summit of Palgongsan, at about eight hundred and fifty metres, a seated Buddha some four metres high sits carved from the living rock with a separate flat slab laid on its head like the wide-brimmed hat a Joseon gentleman wore - gat, hence the name. It dates from the ninth century, Unified Silla. The belief attached to it is specific and widely held: that Gatbawi grants one wish to each person who climbs and prays, and because of that association with results, it is heavily visited by families before university entrance examinations, and the days around the exam in November see the steps busy from before dawn. Getting there is a stepped climb of roughly a thousand steps, forty minutes to an hour, steep throughout. The reward is the statue on an open rock terrace with the ranges of Gyeongsangbuk spread out below. It is free, and busiest at sunrise and on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month.

What you actually see

• The seated Buddha - four metres, carved from the rock.
• The stone hat - the flat slab laid across the head.
• The terrace view - ranges spreading below the summit.
• The praying crowd - the site is in constant devotional use.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Sunrise is the traditional hour. Around the November examination it is very crowded; winter steps ice over.

Honest expectations

The climb is a serious hour of steps and not optional - there is no other access. It is an active place of prayer rather than a monument to tour, and photographing worshippers is not welcome.

Nearby

Donghwasa is on the other side of Palgongsan; Daegu is about 20 km west.