Hongnyongsa Temple

In a valley of Cheonseongsan in Yangsan, a temple hall clings to the cliff right beside a waterfall. Hongnyongsa takes its very name from Hongnyong Falls next door, and its Gwaneumjeon hall stands close enough to feel the spray. It is not a large temple, but the way water, rock and hall fit into a single view is rare among Korean temples.

Where monks bathed before the sermon

According to tradition, the monk Wonhyo founded the temple during the reign of King Munmu of Silla. He is said to have built it while teaching the Avatamsaka (Flower Garland) Sutra to 1,000 monks from Tang China, who bathed in the waterfall beside the temple before listening to him. So it was first called Naksusa, "temple of falling water". The story goes that all thousand monks attained enlightenment, which gave the mountain its name, Cheonseongsan, "mountain of a thousand sages". It was previously called Wonjeoksan, and Wonhyo is also said to have built 89 hermitages on its slopes.

The temple burned during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s and only its site remained for centuries. In the 1910s Beophwa, a monk from Tongdosa, revived it; its present name, Hongnyong, is said to come from the waterfall. After the monk Ugwang became abbot in the late 1970s, it was rebuilt and repaired several times into the temple you see today.

What to see

• Hongnyong Falls: a two-tier waterfall, the upper drop about 14 m and the lower about 10 m (some sources divide it into three tiers and give greater heights). Legend says a heavenly dragon lived beneath the falls and rose to the sky on a rainbow, and since rainbows often form in the spray when the sun shines, it is also called Rainbow Falls.
• Gwaneumjeon Hall: the hall built against the cliff right next to the falls, reached by a steep flight of steps. It is the part of the temple most visitors come for.
• Wooden seated Buddha: a statue over 1 m tall with features of the early 17th century, designated a tangible heritage of Gyeongsangnam-do in 2024.
• Other halls: the main hall Daeungjeon, Museoljeon, the mountain-spirit shrine and the bell pavilion line the valley, and monks meditate in a five-by-three-bay meditation hall. A small hall called Okdang stands by the falls.

In most Korean temples the main hall is the centre of attention, but here the waterfall and Gwaneumjeon are the temple's face. Climb the steps to the front of Gwaneumjeon and the falls drop at eye level, their sound filling the hall.

Tripto tips

• Opening and fees: open all year round, with free entry and free parking. The car park just below the temple fills up at weekends and in peak seasons.
• Time needed: 40 minutes to 1 hour for the temple and falls.
• Best time: the falls are strongest after the rainy season or the day after heavy rain. In spring cherry trees bloom along the approach road, and in autumn the valley turns red.
• Getting there: Yangsan buses 12 and 12-1 run between Myeongnyun Station in Busan, Yangsan and Eonyang. From the "Daeseong Village" stop it is an uphill walk of about 2.5–3 km to the temple (40 minutes to 1 hour), so driving or taking a taxi to the "Hongnyongsa car park" is easier.
• Be careful: the rocks around the falls and the steps to Gwaneumjeon are always wet and slippery. Do not wade into the pool, and keep quiet inside the halls.