Golgulsa Temple Sunmudo

Golgulsa is built into a limestone cliff east of Gyeongju - twelve grottoes cut into the rock, said to have been made by Indian monks in the sixth century, with a relief of a seated Buddha carved high on the face above them, reached by a stepped path with ropes on the exposed sections. It is the only cave temple of its kind in Korea. What brings most visitors is not the caves but sunmudo: a practice combining Seon meditation with slow breathing forms and a martial vocabulary of kicks and rolls, taught here by the monk Seol Jeog-un and presented as a moving meditation rather than a fighting art. Its lineage claim is contested by historians, who date the current form to the twentieth century, and the temple does not dispute that it was reconstructed. Demonstrations are held daily and the templestay here is unusual in that training is the core of it.

What you actually see

• The cliff grottoes - twelve cut chambers in the limestone.
• The rock-carved Buddha - the relief high on the face.
• The sunmudo demonstration - held daily by the resident monks.
• The training templestay - practice-based rather than rest-based.

When to go

April to June and September to November. Check the demonstration time before going. The templestay needs booking ahead and is physically demanding.

Honest expectations

The path to the upper grottoes is steep and exposed with rope handrails - not for everyone. Sunmudo's ancient lineage is a claim, not established history; the form as taught is modern. Ticketed.

Nearby

Gyeongju is 20 km west; Gameunsa and the Munmu rock tomb are on the coast east.