Ssanggyesa Temple

Ssanggyesa sits where two streams meet below the southern ridges of Jirisan, founded in the eighth century by monks who had gone to China, and it is the traditional home of two things. One is Korean tea: the records say seeds brought from Tang China were planted on these slopes in 828, and the Hwagae valley below is still the country's oldest tea-growing area, worked on small terraces rather than plantations. The other is beompae, the chanted Buddhist ritual music, which tradition holds was introduced here by the monk Jingam - whose memorial stele, carved with an inscription by the scholar Choe Chi-won in 887, stands in the courtyard and is a National Treasure. The road up from Hwagae is lined with cherry for about six kilometres and in early April it is one of the busiest blossom drives in the south. Above the temple, paths continue to Buril falls and into Jirisan.

What you actually see

• The Jingam stele - the 887 inscription in the courtyard.
• The tea slopes - the oldest tea ground in Korea, below.
• The cherry road - six kilometres up from Hwagae.
• The valley trails - Buril falls and the Jirisan paths above.

When to go

Late March to early April for blossom, which is spectacular and gridlocked; May for the tea harvest; October for colour. Weekdays in blossom season are far better than weekends.

Honest expectations

Ticketed, with a walk from the gate. In blossom season the valley road can take hours and parking runs out early. The temple buildings are modest - the setting and the stele are the interest.

Nearby

Hwagae market is at the valley mouth; Hwaeomsa and Gurye are west along the Seomjin.