Waujeongsa Temple

On the slopes of Yeonhwasan in Haegok-dong, Yongin, Waujeongsa greets you with a golden Buddha head 8 m tall at its entrance. More than 3,000 Buddha statues brought from India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other countries are scattered across the grounds, so the scene is quite unlike a traditional Korean mountain temple. In autumn the ponds and stone towers are framed by red maples, and many people come just for the colours.

A temple founded by a refugee monk

Waujeongsa was founded in 1970 by Haewol Samjang (secular name Kim Hae-geun), a monk who had fled from North Korea. It was built to pray, through the Buddha's merit, for reconciliation between North and South and for the unity of the nation, and it is the head temple of the Nirvana Order of Korean Buddhism. The temple sits on Yeonhwasan, ringed by 48 peaks, and its character comes from the statues, scriptures and relics brought here from Buddhist countries across Asia.

What to see

• The golden Buddha head: an 8 m head of the Buddha set on a rocky mound by the entrance. Seen together with the pond below, it looks even bigger.
• Reclining Buddha in Yeolbanjeon: a Buddha 3 m high and 12 m long, carved from fragrant wood imported from Indonesia. It shows Shakyamuni entering nirvana.
• Stone Tower of Unification: beside the steps to Yeolbanjeon rises a tower built stone by stone from rocks collected at Buddhist holy sites around the world. Conical stone cairns also dot the slopes of the grounds.
• Bell of Unification: a 12-tonne bell that was rung during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
• Ascetic Buddha and other statues: look for the statue of the fasting Shakyamuni, carved from white jade on a green jade base. There is also a brass group of five standing Buddhas, a bronze pensive Maitreya said to be the largest in Korea, and a stone Medicine Buddha.
• World Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall: a hall holding statues from many countries, relics from India, Sri Lanka and Myanmar, and scriptures in Pali and Sanskrit.

Easy to miss

The grounds spread up and down a hillside, and many visitors only see the Buddha head by the entrance and leave. Yeolbanjeon and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall are a long flight of steps higher up, so allow enough time. Small ponds, stone walls and stone Buddhas are tucked along the way, and the higher you climb, the better the view over the whole temple.

Who will enjoy it

Rather than the quiet of a classic temple, the appeal here is seeing Buddhist art from across Asia in one place. Each statue differs in face and material, so it is fun to walk round with children guessing which country a Buddha comes from. The paths around the ponds, stone walls and maples also make good photo spots.

Tripto tips

• Visitor information: open 06:00–18:00, every day of the year. Entry is free, and there is a car park and toilets.
• When to go: late October to early November for the maples. Spring greenery around the ponds is also lovely.
• Time needed: 1 to 1.5 hours for the Buddha head, Yeolbanjeon, the stone towers and the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall. There are slopes and steps, so wear comfortable shoes.
• Getting there: the address is 25-15 Haegok-ro, Cheoin-gu, Yongin. A car is easiest; by public transport you need to change buses in central Yongin, so check the route in a map app first.
• Combine with: Everland or the Korean Folk Village, each roughly half an hour away by car, for a full day in Yongin.