Waujeongsa Temple

Waujeongsa is not an ancient site - it was founded in 1970 by a monk who had come south from the north, and everything in it is modern, which is unusual enough among Korean temples to be the point. What the temple collected instead of history is objects: some ten thousand Buddha statues, donated from across Asia and set out in ranks along the hillside, in bronze, stone, wood and clay, of every size and school. At the entrance stands the piece the temple is known for, an enormous head of the Buddha carved from a single piece of wood, around eight metres high, weathered grey. Inside a hall lies a reclining Buddha carved from a juniper trunk, about twelve metres long, and the compound also holds a hall of a thousand small figures. It is idiosyncratic and slightly overwhelming rather than serene, and it functions as much as a collection as a monastery. Free to enter, an hour or two, and easy from Seoul.

What you actually see

• The great wooden head - the eight-metre carved Buddha at the gate.
• The reclining Buddha - the twelve-metre juniper figure.
• The statue hillside - thousands of donated figures in ranks.
• The bell and halls - the small modern compound.

When to go

April to June and October to November. Any time of day; it is rarely crowded except on Buddhist holidays. Free entry.

Honest expectations

Nothing here is old - visitors after historic architecture should go elsewhere. The presentation is dense and eclectic rather than contemplative. A taxi is needed from the bus stop.

Nearby

Everland and the Korean Folk Village are in Yongin; Suwon is west.