Seollimwon Temple Site, Yangyang

Deep in the Micheongol valley in Seo-myeon, Yangyang, a forest path climbs to a temple site where a pagoda, a stone lantern and a stele stand scattered against the hillside. The Seollimwon Temple Site belonged to a 9th-century monastery of Silla's Seon (Zen) school, and four of its stone monuments, all designated Treasures, still stand here: a three-storey pagoda, a stone lantern, the stele of Master Honggak and a monk's stupa. Knowing that the whole temple was buried by a landslide in the early 10th century makes the quiet valley feel very different.

History: a date on a bell, an end in a landslide

The site came to light in 1948, when men preparing timber to build houses in the valley stumbled upon a Silla bronze bell. An inscription cast inside it gave the date 804 and showed that the temple was founded by Suneung, the monk who also founded Haeinsa. In the 9th century Suneung, Yeomgeo and Master Honggak (814–880) lived here in turn, carrying on the Seon lineage, and the temple was substantially rebuilt under Honggak.

Dongguk University excavations in 1985–1986 concluded that around 900 a great flood set off a landslide that buried the entire temple. The bell was moved to Woljeongsa on Odaesan for safekeeping, but it melted when Woljeongsa burned during the Korean War in 1951; the fragments are in the National Museum of Korea and Chuncheon National Museum. In 2015 excavators found a gilt-bronze standing Bodhisattva lying face down in what seems to have been the monks' quarters. Complete with halo and pedestal, it is 66.7 cm tall, the largest bodhisattva statue from a known find spot. Its gilding is almost intact, which suggests it was buried soon after it was made.

What to see

• Three-storey pagoda (Treasure): a classic Silla pagoda restored on its original spot south of the main hall site. The upper base is carved with the Eight Guardian Deities, and it is dated to around the 9th century. Some 60 miniature pagodas and a small bronze bell were found in its base before restoration, and an offering stone still lies in front of it.
• Stone lantern (Treasure): an octagonal lantern about 2.92 m tall. Its middle support looks like an upright hourglass drum wrapped in cloud and lotus bands. It was reassembled from scattered pieces.
• Stele of Master Honggak (Treasure): erected around 886. The tortoise base with its upright dragon head and the capstone carved with clouds and dragons are original; only fragments of the inscribed body survived, so a new one was made in 2008. The text was assembled from the calligraphy of the Chinese master Wang Xizhi, proof that his style had spread in late Silla.
• Stupa (Treasure): smashed during the Japanese colonial period and pieced back together in 1965; only the base survives. Its round middle section, carved in high relief with clouds and dragons, is impressive. It is thought to be Honggak's.

Tripto tips

• Getting there: the site lies inside the Micheongol Natural Recreation Forest. From the forest ticket office, walk a little over 1 km up the valley path. Seoyangyang IC is about 10 minutes away by car. Check opening hours and closing days (listed as Tuesdays) on the national recreation forest website.
• Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hours including the walk from the ticket office, or half a day with a longer valley walk.
• Best time: May–June, when the valley is green, and October for autumn colour.
• Combine with: Chuncheon National Museum, where fragments of the bell and stele complete the story of the empty site.