디시인사이드

On the last day, we left Gyeongju and visited Changnyeong and Hapcheon.

The first event was Daegyeonsa Temple. Daegyeonsa Temple is a temple located 1000m above sea level at the foot of Biseulsan Mountain, and is easily accessible as a shuttle bus runs right in front. The boarding pass is not cheap at 5,000 won one way, but it's worth it just to be able to see this much scenery by bus.

It is believed to be the pagoda of Namal-Yeocho, and was restored in 1988. The scenery of the Hyeonpung area and the Nakdong River below the tower is spectacular. However, the downside was that there was a lot of fine dust.

I went up wearing only light clothes and came down 30 minutes later. Next, we moved to Gwannyongsa Temple.

At the entrance to Gwannyongsa Temple, two stone monks stand facing each other. It's fun to see them staring at each other with their teeth out.

Entrance to Gwannyongsa Temple. When it comes to Gwannyongsa Temple, Yongseondae is famous, but I personally like this gate more than Yongseondae.

Gwanryongsa Temple is said to have been founded in 394, but this is not certain. It was rebuilt in 583, during the reign of King Jinpyeong. It was rebuilt in 1401 during the Joseon Dynasty, but most of it burned down during the Japanese invasion and was restored in 1617.

Gwannyongsa Temple faces Hwawangsan Mountain, and the scenery is spectacular. It is also famous for the silver grass fields on the side of Hwawangsanseong Fortress, and the Silver Grass Festival is held every year.

Daeungjeon was rebuilt in 1617, immediately after the Japanese invasions of Korea. There is a reversal of resentment, but it is not severe.

The Yaksijeon in front of it is a small Buddhist temple with one space on both the front and the side. This building was built in 1507, before the Japanese invasions of Korea, and has various characteristics of early Joseon buildings.

Although the Pharmacy Dictionary was built in 1507, the overall architectural style appears to be that of the early 15th century rather than the 16th century. First of all, there is a ventral opening and the heotcheom tea is carved in the shape of a lotus head, and the long tongue also has a curved finish.

In particular, the appearance of a small amount of water is unusual. Umiryang is commonly thought to have appeared in the architecture of the late Goryeo Dynasty, but it was partially used until the early Joseon Dynasty. Representative examples include the liberation gate of Dogapsa Temple in Yeongam and the Hansanbojeon of Paeyeopsa Temple in Sincheon. Since the Gwanryongsa Pharmacist Dictionary appears in the latest period among them, I personally believe that although it is said to have been built in 1507 and remains in the Sangryanggi, some of the materials from the previous period were recycled.

Yaksijeon is also famous for the various murals that remain. There are no pictures as photography is prohibited inside. Although there are 53 Buddhist paintings, there are also many paintings that have nothing to do with Buddhism, such as flowers and insects.

The three-story stone pagoda in front is severely damaged, but the overall level of carving is high. Although the stylobate looks a bit excessive, the sophisticated interior sculpture makes up for it.

You can get to Yongseondae by going up the mountain path behind Gwannyongsa Temple. The slope is steep, but you can reach it in about 10 minutes.

The Yongseondae Stone Seated Buddha has a benevolent and warm face, but overall the sculpture lacks volume and appears to be formalized. The Cultural Heritage Administration introduces it as a work from the 9th century, but I personally think it is from a later period.

Yongseondae Stone Seated Buddha Statue is more famous for the location of the Buddha statue than for the Buddha statue itself. The name of Yongseondae is presumed to have originated from the Banya Yong Seon, which is what the dead ride on when they go to the underworld in Buddhism. I don't know for sure, but the shape of the rock where the dragon boat is located resembles a ship.

I descended again and moved to downtown Changnyeong. The first place we visited was Manokjeong Park, a place where cultural assets from the Changnyeong area are gathered.

Not only Manokjeong Park but also the most important cultural property in Changnyeong is King Jinheung's Cheokgyeongbi. So far, five monuments erected by King Jinheung have been discovered: Hwangchoryeong Stele, Maunryeong Stele, Bukhansan Stele, Jeokseong Stele, and Changnyeong Stele. Among these, Jinheung Wangcheok Gyeongbi Stele in Changnyeong is not called a pure monument, but it mainly contains pure contents of King Jinheung's conquest of the Bisabeol area. has exist. Established in 561.

Originally located at the foot of Hwawangsan Mountain, it was discovered by the Japanese Government-General of Korea in 1914 and moved here in 1924. Unlike the Pure Monument of Period 3, the writing was engraved using the shape of natural stone, with a total of 27 lines and 643 characters.

There is also Toecheon Three-story Stone Pagoda within the park. It was moved here in 1969 and is believed to be a pagoda from the Unified Silla period. However, the level is not that high.

There is also a guest house in Changnyeong. The left and right wings disappeared, and only the government office remained.

For lunch, I went to Sugure Gukbap restaurant in the market. Sugure is a small part of the cow that grows only around the neck, and it is not commonly eaten, so if you go to Changnyeong, you should definitely try it. The savory yet chewy taste is excellent.

There is a stone ice storage facility next to the market. Unlike Gyeongju Seokbinggo, it is on flat ground.

Next, together with Jinheung Wangcheok Guard, we moved to the Suljeongni-dong Three-story Stone Pagoda, a national treasure in Changnyeong.

The Suljeongri-dong Three-story Stone Pagoda is a pagoda from the Unified Silla period and is close to perfection in all aspects. It is the highest level pagoda outside the Gyeongju area, and it is presumed that craftsmen were dispatched directly from Seorabeol to build it at the time of construction. I don't know if it's a difference in stone quality, but other than a few scratches, the characteristic peeling that appears in granite is not visible.

It still maintains the appearance of an early stone pagoda, including three face stones at the base, but its appearance is sleeker than that of Hwangboksa Pagoda or Nawonri Pagoda, showing proportions closer to those of the three-story stone pagoda of Bulguksa Temple. In terms of period, I think it is most similar to the Madong Three-story Stone Pagoda.

During an excavation in 2008, roof tiles bearing the name of Songnimsa Temple were discovered and the name of the temple became known. I think that the reason behind the construction of this wonderful pagoda was the fact that Changnyeong has continued to be a politically important area since the reign of King Jinheung.

Next, we moved to the rock-carved Buddha statue in Songhyeon-dong. The neck looks a little bent because it was carved along the rock face (...), but it is in really good condition and its posture is stable.

Although it is a rock-carved Buddha, the lower body of the seated statue is distinctive in that it is carved in a three-dimensional manner by protruding. It is presumed to be a work by Namal Yeocho whose overall volume has been reduced and omissions have become more severe.

Songhyeon-dong Ancient Tombs. It is located on the ridge behind the rock-carved seated Buddha statue. It is believed to have been built in the 5th to 6th centuries, and is believed to be the royal tombs of Bisabeolguk. I went there without thinking much, but was surprised at how big it was. Originally, there were 80 tombs, but now only 16 remain. Some are as large as Cheonmachong Tombs, while others are smaller than knee height.

The Gyodong Ancient Tombs visible in the distance. Omitted due to time constraints.

Next, we visited the Inyangsa Temple Monument. It is better known as the Tapgeumdangchiseongmun stele. On the front, there are records of building the pagoda and golden hall of Inyangsa Temple and performing various Buddhist temples, and on both sides are written anecdotes of the Sixth Patriarch, Huineng, etc.

What is unique about this monument is that it has a statue of a monk carved on the back. It is unknown why it was produced in this form, but it can be considered important in that it is a sculpture with a definite production date (810).

We moved again and arrived at the Suljeongri Seo Three-story Stone Pagoda.

Although it has nothing to do with the three-story stone pagoda in Suljeong-dong, which can be considered the best Buddhist pagoda of the North and South Korean era, it is unfairly compared to many because it is located in the same Suljeong-ri area. Actually, looking at the tower itself, it is a fairly decent piece of work.

Recently, restoration work has been carried out and the stylobate has been cleaned up, and abutments that cannot be seen in other stone pagodas have been added.

The upper stylobate was unusually made of several stones rather than using cotton stones. Because of this, it was difficult to engrave the Tangju, so it was replaced with Ansang. It is rare to find a pagoda like this in the entire country with a statue of Ansang carved on the entire surface of the upper stylobate.

The last stop in Changnyeong is Jikgyoridangganjiju. Uniquely, the head of one of the props was rounded, and I think it was used to fasten or tie something.

The location is quite absurd, as it is located in a narrow alley, sandwiched between two private houses. The camera is a bit wide-angle, so you can't really get the feel of it, but it's hard to even imagine that something like this is here until you're right in front of it.

The purpose of Hapcheon's visit was Daeamsan Mountain. I came back because I was disappointed when I visited three years ago due to thick clouds.

Daeamsan Mountain is famous for its panoramic views of the Chogye-Jeokjung Basin. Because the summit is a paragliding site, it is possible to travel by car to the summit.

Chogye Hit Basin is the only meteorite impact site on the Korean Peninsula. The Korean Peninsula has many unique basin types, including coastal basins. However, the coastal basin was found to be a basin formed by differential erosion, and the Chogyejeokjungjung Basin was also thought to be a similar case. However, in 2020, the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources discovered a cone-shaped structure formed by a strong shock wave in the breccia obtained by drilling the soil in the area, confirming that it was a meteorite impact basin. The time of impact was 50,000 years ago, and the diameter of the meteorite is estimated to be about 200m.

I often hear people say that there isn't much to see in Korea because the country is small, but when I travel, I often think that the natural terrain is quite diverse for a small country.

After crossing Daeamsan Mountain, I arrived at Baekam-ri Stone Light. Baekam-ri Stone Light is located in a remote area, so it was evaluated as a place like Gyereuk in the 'Exploration Travel Guide', but the atmosphere is really great.

Baekam-ri Stone Light. There is another stone lantern next to it, and it appears to have had two stone lanterns.

Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings are carved between the windows of the Hwasa Stone.

There is also a seated stone Buddha statue next to it. The wear is very severe, but the outline is still recognizable.

There is a sculpture that appears to be a Bodhisattva statue on the middle stone of the pedestal. Overall, the sculpture has a very Silla-like feel.

In fact, it's a waste of distance to come just to see a stone lantern, but the scenery of the temple site combined with old giant trees is a charming place.

The last place I visited was Hambyeoknu. It was pouring rain at that moment and I was able to see the sight of the rainwater falling straight into the water of the Hwanggang River.

Hambyeokru stone carving. Uam Ong's handwriting pops up everywhere in the country.

I ate delicious fried dumplings at a Chinese restaurant in town for dinner and returned home.