디시인사이드

On the last day, we visited Buknamsan Mountain, Baeban-dong, and Bomun-dong, which we had planned yesterday. Get off at the Unification Exhibition like yesterday.

The first places I visited were the tombs of King Jeonggang and King Heongang at the foot of Dongnam Mountain.

King Heongang and King Jeonggang were the sons of King Gyeongmun, the 48th king, and became the 49th and 50th kings, respectively. At that time, at the end of the Silla Dynasty, the fierce battle for power between King Seondeok and King Sinmu had subsided, but it was a time when national power was weakening and rebellions were fierce in various places. In addition, as the kings were short-lived, Queen Jinseong, the eldest daughter of King Gyeongmun and the younger brother of King Heongang and King Jeonggang (both died before the age of 25) ascended to the throne, and Queen Jinseong was succeeded by King Hyogong, the son of King Heongang, who was an illegitimate child. There were incidents such as his abdication, and the prevailing view is that this was due to pressure from Park Gyeong-hwi, King Heongang's son-in-law and the person in power at the time. In the end, Park Gyeong-hwi became the 53rd King Sindeok, and 20 years later, Silla disappeared into history.

It was only when I came here that I found out that restoration work had recently been carried out. It appears that the lost capstone has been newly renovated.

According to the records of the historical records, King Heongang and King Jeonggang were both buried in the southeast of Bodhi Temple. You may think that this is an accurate decision since Bodhi Temple, where the Mireukgok Stone Seated Buddha Statue is currently located, is northwest of King Heongang's tomb, but it is not an easy matter.

In the 18th century, as the genealogy craze spread in Joseon, attempts were made to break away from the existing custom of worshiping only up to the fourth great ancestor and instead honor the ancestors of the previous generation. In this process, the three clans of the Kim, Park, and Seok clans visited the tombs of their ancestors, the kings of Silla. However, more than 800 years have passed since Silla disappeared, and there was no way to know the burial of the royal tombs except for the tomb of King Taejong Muyeol, where a tombstone remains.

Fortunately, the location information of the royal tombs is recorded in the records of Samguk Sagi and Samguk Yusa. Although not all of them were recorded, most of the burial records of later kings remain. Nevertheless, there are many cases where place names are not passed down or elements that could specify the location (south of Dongchon - King Seongdeok's Tomb, Hanji - King Jinpyeong's Tomb, etc.) are also unknown. Then, at a time when there was no archaeological knowledge, a situation arose where royal tombs were arbitrarily designated. For example, the Jimai Tomb, Ilsunggi Tomb, and Adalai Tomb were designated as historic tombs by designating any tomb even though there are no records of burial sites. , Although there is a record that Talhae, the first king of the Seok clan, was cremated and enshrined as a statue on Tohamsan Mountain, the ancient tomb in Dongcheon-dong is enshrined as the tomb of King Talhae. Based on the record that the tomb of King Heongang and the tomb of King Jeonggang are also located southeast of Borisa Temple, there is a significant possibility that the two royal tombs were identified based on the fact that the two royal tombs are adjacent to each other in a short distance.

The current Borisa temple is a newly built temple in the early 20th century, and it is highly likely that the name of the temple was a reverse assumption based on its location to the northwest of the tombs of King Heongang and King Jeonggang. There is little disagreement that the two royal tombs are the last royal tombs of the 9th and 10th centuries (there is also a theory that they are the royal tombs of Seongdeok and Gyeongdeok, but they are less convincing), but there is also a high possibility that they are the tombs of King Munseong and King Heonan, who were said to have been buried in the duchy, so the two theories are conflicting.

Restoration work was in progress for the Gapseok tomb of King Heongang, following the tomb of King Jeonggang. This tomb is a style that perfectly matches the Royal Tomb of King Jeonggang in terms of form, so it can be seen that it was built over a very narrow time gap. However, while the tomb of King Jeonggang has 3 tiers of stone, the tomb of King Heongang has 4 tiers, so it is assumed that the tomb of King Heongang is the royal tomb immediately preceding the tomb of King Jeonggang.

Go back out to the road and walk toward Namcheon. As you go, you will come across a place called Hwarang Education Center, and inside the playground is the Namsan-dong Stone Inspection Room, which has been designated as a cultural asset. The door was closed, so I zoomed in to take the picture from afar.

Arrived at the entrance of Bodhi Temple. It's hard to tell from the photo, but it's a very steep road.

Warning sign next to the entrance. It's not direct, but I think it's the most threatening warning.

If you turn left from the Bodhi Temple parking lot onto the mountain road, you will come across the Bodhisama Stone Buddha. The path wasn't difficult to find, but there were a lot of rocks and it was a bit slippery due to the rain the previous day. Unfortunately, I lost time by missing the path to the right. When I looked it up later, it seemed like the sign there had been lost...

The Mireukgok Stone Seated Buddha, the most handsome Buddha statue in Namsan. It is presumed to be a work from the 9th century, as it is somewhat more formalized than works from its heyday, such as the main Buddha of Seokguram Grotto.

The fireworks on the mandorla are also gorgeous.

The most unique feature of this Buddha statue is the rock-carved Buddha on the back of the mandorla. It is an extremely rare piece of sculpture, such as the stone standing Buddha at Manboksa Temple.

There is a steep slope, but the scenery is nice.

There is a stone pagoda in front of the main hall. Although there is a lot of material, the main body of the pagoda is almost intact. There are many high-quality non-designated cultural assets in Gyeongju.

Since I visited the Tapgok Rock-carved Statues during a trip to Gyeongju the year before last, I came to see the Bulgok Rock-carved Buddha Statue for the first time since 2016.

This work, which is said to have been modeled after Queen Seondeok, was created shortly after Buddhism was recognized, and is the most famous among all the Buddhist statues in Namsan.

If you come back down to Namcheon-ga and walk along the Baeban-dong field, you will see a pine forest in the distance, which is Mangdeoksa Temple Site. There is no proper access road (...) so you have to walk along the rice field ridge.

In the mid-7th century, after the Silla-Tang allied forces defeated Baekje and Goguryeo in Silla's war of unification, Tang's excessive greed led Silla to wage war against Tang once again. Then, King Munmu had Beopsa Myeongrang build Sacheonwangsa Temple in Sinyurim, south of Nangsan Mountain, to block the Tang army.

The Tang Dynasty, upon hearing the news about the Four Heavenly Kings, dispatched Akbungwi, the envoy mentioned in Part 2 of the Cheonryongsa Temple, to find out the truth. Silla defended itself by saying that Sacheonwangsa Temple was built to repay the favor of the Tang Dynasty, but upon hearing the news that an envoy was coming, they built a new temple to the south of Sacheonwangsa Temple to cover it up and deceived Akbungwi that it was Sacheonwangsa Temple.

Naturally, this ploy did not work on the demon. Akbungwi looked around this newly built temple and said, “This is not the Sacheonwangsa Temple, but the temple of Mangdeokya Mountain (望德搖山),” and from then on, this temple came to be called Mangdeoksa Temple. However, Akbungwi, who took the bribe, went to the Tang court and reported that Sacheonwangsa Temple was a temple to pray for the longevity of King Gojong of Tang, and after that, the relationship between Silla and Tang rapidly improved.(...)

The Mangdeoksa Temple site's support supports are unique in that they do not have any holes except for the prayer at the top. I wonder how they supported the party.

(West Tower Sim Cho-seok)

It is said that Mangdeoksa Temple was arranged in a twin-pagoda structure, with thirteen-story wooden pagodas standing on the left and right sides. This 13-story wooden pagoda is believed to have been the model for the 13-story stone pagoda at Jeonghyesa Temple site in Angang. It is said that the two towers shook whenever there was an uprising, most notably when the An Loksan Rebellion broke out in the Tang Dynasty in 755, during the Gyeongdeok Dynasty. It is said that the two towers collided with each other in 798, 804, and 816, and the two towers were more than 30 meters apart. Of course, this may be an exaggeration, but if the two towers shake to the point of colliding, it would be a catastrophe.

Mangdeoksa Temple East Tower. It is in a better state of preservation than the West Tapji site, where almost all relics other than the foundation stone have been lost.

If you come out of Mangdeoksa Temple Site towards National Highway 7, you will find the Royal Tomb of King Sinmun across the road. This tomb, which seems to be protected by a pine forest, is so large that it feels intimidating.

As explained earlier when introducing the Royal Tomb of King Heongang and the Royal Tomb of King Jeonggang, there are many cases where the Royal Tomb of Silla was incorrectly determined, and the Royal Tomb of King Sinmun is also the same case. The historical record records that the tomb of King Sinmun was buried on the east side of Nangsan Mountain, but the current tomb of King Sinmun is clearly south of Nangsan Mountain. Therefore, it is common to assume that the current tomb of King Jinpyeong is the tomb of King Sinmun.

Meanwhile, there is a person who is certain to be the owner of this tomb, the 32nd King Hyoso, the eldest son of King Sinmun. It is written that the tomb of King Hyo-so is located to the east of Mangdeoksa Temple, but the current tomb of King Sinmun is located just east of Mangdeok-sa Temple, so anyone who sees it can only say that it is the tomb of King Hyo-so.

The style of the tomb also matches. Based on various reasons, it is very likely that the 33rd King Seongdeok's tomb is the place currently known as King Seongdeok's tomb. King Seongdeok's tomb is a royal tomb before King Seongdeok, as the stone (pictured above) that appears in King Sinmun's tomb appears in a more developed form.

Meanwhile, the tomb of King Taejong Muyeol, the 29th king, is certain to be the tomb of King Muyeol as there is a monument left in front. However, only natural stones (surrounding stones) are placed around the tomb, so it is in the style before the tomb of King Sinmun. Since the 30th King Munmu was cremated and buried in the East Sea, there are only two candidates for burial: the 31st King Shinmun and the 32nd King Hyoso. Perhaps King Hyoso died at the age of 15, just one year after his accession to the throne, and the difference in recognition between him and King Sinmun may have contributed to his perception that he was suitable as the owner of such a large royal tomb.

There is a gate engraved on the stone to the south of this tomb, but its meaning is not clear. It is impossible for him to tell the entrance by saying, ‘I’m going to rob’, and the theory that it was the work of a grave robber is also unconvincing.

A hoopoe I met at the tomb of King Sinmun.

I moved to Sacheonwangsa Temple site. The Sacheonwangsaji Danggan support is one of the earliest Danggan supports from the Silla Dynasty, but it is surprising that it has not been designated as a cultural asset.

There are two noble temples at Sacheonwangsa Temple site. The location may seem strange as it faces the road far away from the temple, but if you look closely, the two temples are standing side by side, and if you look at the temple site from the center, you can see the Geumdangji in the exact center. In fact, the two noble parts are placed on the left and right of the main gate, which suggests that they were quite important stone monuments.

It is presumed that the tombstone of King Munmu was erected in one of the two noble houses. King Munmu's tombstone, built in 682, records King Munmu's achievements and death. In 1796, Busa Hong Yang-ho discovered two secret planes, but one was lost and could not be found. Then, in 2009, it was discovered again in a residential area in Dongbu-dong. As the resident of the house was storing a monument in the front yard, a rumor was spread that the monument was being used as a washboard by giregi, and the residents were in trouble.

Although the place has been overturned and renovated due to a recent excavation, the drainage work was a mess, causing stagnant water and a rotten smell. I wish Gyeongju City would either make a fuss about it just because it was newly restored or would manage it well.

The newly restored foundation. It is believed to be a wooden pagoda site, and is where green-glazed statues of gods were placed.

The restored base of the Nokyusinjangsang statue. The placement of the green-glazed statues was confirmed through an excavation in the mid-2000s, but this excavation once again left scholars in a state of confusion. Until now, the kidneys in the sculpture were thought to be those of the Four Heavenly Kings, but since they were a set of three, it became difficult to regard them as the Four Heavenly Kings.

The green oil kidney statue taken at the museum on the first day.

Dongtapji. Although the west tower has been restored, the east tower can be climbed. The foundation stone is square and has no special decoration.

If there were twin pagodas on the left and right in the south of Geumdangji, there are also unidentified relics on the left and right between the northern lecture hall and Geumdang. It is presumed to be the site of a gyeonglu where sutras were stored, and other times it is presumed to be the site of an altar where the Munduru secret method was practiced. It is made of rolled cornerstone, and the polished stone with neatly trimmed edges like a stone pagoda stands out.

If you climb up Nangsan Mountain, the mountain behind Sacheonwangsa Temple, there is a huge tomb at the top. This is Queen Seondeok’s tomb.

Before she died, Queen Seondeok left a will to her subjects to bury her in Doricheon. In the Buddhist worldview, Doricheon is the second of the 6,000 worlds of desire and is located at the top of Sumisan Mountain. Centered around Jeseokcheon, there are 33,000 streams of 8,000 on each of the four peaks. Of the remaining five heavens of the six heavens of the world of desire, four are floating on top of Sumisan Mountain, and the Four Heavenly Heavens are located halfway up Sumisan Mountain. The Four Heavenly Heavens are where the Four Heavenly Kings and their dependents live.

As the subjects stood there unable to understand the king's words to bury them at Dori Stream, Queen Seondeok informed them that Dori Stream was the summit of Nangsan Mountain. Ten years later, when King Munmu built Sacheonwangsa Temple in Shinyurim, south of Nangsan Mountain, to fight against the Tang Dynasty, it is said that only then did people understand the meaning of burying him in Doricheon.

Queen Seondeok's tomb looks like the burial mound is surrounded by rubble, which is the result of an incorrect restoration in 1949. The large rocks seen in the middle of the rubble are called stone stones, which were supposed to lean around the burial mound, but at a time when there was a lack of knowledge about them, even the stones were taken and used.

Although the tomb is located at the top of a mountain, it is surrounded by a pine forest, giving it a cozy and cozy feel. Among the revealed Silla royal tombs, it is the only one located on the top of a mountain, which also makes Queen Seondeok's tomb stand out.

If you move to the north of Nangsan Mountain, you will find Neungjitapji. Neungjitapji is known as the crematorium of King Munmu, and the basis for this is that figurines of the early Unified Silla Dynasty were excavated, the strata were charred black, and monuments to the tomb of King Munmu were excavated nearby.

Meanwhile, since the charred stratum was discovered at the bottom of the current square tower-shaped structure, it is presumed that it was an additional structure built later. It is believed to be a relic from the 9th or 10th century, and it appears to have originally had 5 floors.

(Nungji pagoda site unknown)

The hottest issue recently in Neungji Tower is related to the zodiac signs. The Neungji Pagoda had a total of 12 zodiac statues, 3 on each side, but 3 are missing and 9 remain. Previously, it was assumed that this was the original location of the statues of the zodiac, but as a result of recent excavations of Hwangboksa Temple site and the tomb of the King of the Dead next to it, it was revealed that the size of the stone in the tomb of the King of the Apostles matches the size of the statue of the zodiac, suggesting that the original source of these sculptures is Guhwang-dong, across the mountain. It was revealed that it was the tomb of an abandoned king.

Meanwhile, statues of the zodiac gods were also used on the foundation of Hwangboksa Temple site right next to the tomb of the deposed king, and this was also thought to have been moved from the royal tomb. As a result of this excavation, it was previously believed that the zodiac statues at Hwangboksa Temple were moved from the tomb of the abandoned kings, but the statues of the zodiac gods used on the foundation of Hwangboksa Temple site were revealed to be separate stone monuments unrelated to the tombs of the abandoned kings.

(Osang of Neungjitapji)

The zodiac signs at Neungjitapji and Hwangboksaji have different styles. The zodiac statues at Neungji Tower are flat, curved reliefs like the tombs of King Wonseong, King Gyeongdeok, and King Heungdeok, and the zodiac statues at Hwangboksaji Temple are flat reliefs with flat reliefs like the tombs of Kim Yu-sin and King Heondeok, with both heads facing right.

Since the Hwangboksa Temple site was completely covered with earth after excavation, the sculptures cannot be confirmed, but the impression written on the tomb pagoda (pictured below) is the same size and style as the one written on the base of the Hwangboksa Temple site, so it appears to have been moved along with the other zodiac statues.

In 「Research on Royal Tombs of Silla」, the plain-clothed zodiac statues are considered to be the earlier style, and the uncloaked zodiac statues are considered to be the later style. Therefore, the tomb of the 35th King Gyeongdeok, right after the tomb of the 33rd King Seongdeok, where the zodiac statue was first used, is assumed to be Kim Yusin's tomb. However, no clear interpretation has been provided regarding the use of the zodiac statues in plain clothes in the tomb of King Heondeok, the 41st king.

The origin of the late Mubok zodiac statues is the tomb of King Wonseong, the 38th king, and it is certain that he is buried along with the tomb of King Heungdeok, the 42nd king. The tomb of the 39th King Soseong, for whom there is no burial record, is set to be King Gyeongdeok's tomb. Regarding the statue of the zodiac at Neungjitapji, it was assumed that it was used for the tomb of the 43rd King Huigang.

The prevailing opinion is that it is highly likely that the zodiac statues used at Hwangboksaji Temple were intended to be used for the tomb of King Hyoseong, the 34th king. It is presumed that the foundation was built during the Unified Silla Dynasty, but it is incomprehensible that the royal tomb was torn down to build a temple, so it can be thought that the tomb of King Hyoseong, who left a will to be cremated, was discontinued during construction and used for other purposes.

It is certain that the zodiac statues at the Neungjitap site, which were moved from the tomb of the abandoned king, are of an earlier style than those of the Gujeong-dong square tomb or the tomb of Queen Jindeok, but it is difficult to pinpoint them exactly. Although it must first be accurately confirmed whether the completed tomb was destroyed later or whether it was an unfinished tomb to begin with, it seems certain that it is the tomb of a person from the lineage of King Wonseong.

For more details, please refer to the previously posted article below.

On the way to Hwangboksa Temple site, Bomun-dong fields. The eastern side of Nangsan Mountain has a tranquility that is different from the Guhwang-dong fields to the west.

Hwangboksaji Three-story Stone Pagoda. It is a later style than the Gameunsa Temple and Goseonsa Temple pagodas, but it is a style that precedes the Bulguksa Three-story Stone Pagoda, and is similar to the Changnimsa Temple and Nawonri Pagoda. The two golden Buddha statues discovered inside are famous, and since they are on the 3rd floor of the Central Museum, be sure to see them.

The second noble body at Hwangboksaji Temple. It was recently excavated and renovated. The identity of Hwangboksaji is also a hot potato in academia. In fact, it is a place of various controversies, including questions about whether this is Hwangboksa Temple, whether a pagoda existed, and why the layout of the temple was changed from south to east.

Tomb of the abandoned king in Guhwang-dong. It's been three years since I visited, but it's now become a mess. The entrance road is so overgrown with grass that you don't even know there was a road. Recently, active excavation and restoration are underway across the country, and it seems necessary to make a macroscopic plan while considering after-sales management measures.

The Royal Tomb of King Jinpyeong can be seen beyond the Abandoned King’s Tomb information board.

It was 2 o'clock when we got to Hwangboksa Temple. From this point on, I joined the group and moved by car. We ate wheat noodles near Palujeong and bought some Gyeongju bread before leaving. There's nothing special about Gyeongju bread, but I feel sad if I don't buy it, so I end up buying a box every time I come.

The first place we visited by car was Yeoramgoksa Temple Site. This place was in an uproar with the discovery of a huge rock-carved Buddha in 2007. It has now been renovated and a protective angle has been provided. You can meet us by climbing the mountain for about 30 minutes from the parking lot.

Seated Buddha statue of Yeolamgok. While repairing this Buddha statue, the Rock-carved Buddha was discovered.

It appears that the head of the Rock-carved Buddha was supported to prevent it from being pushed further.

My forehead hit the rock in front of me and luckily my nose was not hurt. All I can say is that it is truly miraculous.

I came back down and the last place I visited was Yongsan Seowon. The stele of Choi Jin-rip's memorial stone in front of Yongsan Seowon was erected during the Joseon Dynasty, but since the noble body retains the style of the Silla period, there are suspicions that it was only used for the noble body during the Silla period.

In Part 3, there was a lot to write about compared to what I saw, so the article was a bit long. Part 4 will be about Changnyeong and Hapcheon, which we visited on the last day after leaving Gyeongju.

+) I walked 90,000 steps in 3 days haha