Bunhwangsa Temple

Next to the Hwangnyongsa temple site in Gyeongju, a small temple courtyard holds what looks like a dark brick tower. Up close, it turns out to be made of stone cut one piece at a time into the shape of bricks. The Bunhwangsa stone brick pagoda is the oldest surviving Silla pagoda. The temple is small, but it carries the memory of Silla Buddhism at its height.

History: the queen's temple, Wonhyo's temple

Bunhwangsa was completed in 634, in the third year of Queen Seondeok's reign. Its name, "fragrant sovereign", is usually taken to refer to the queen herself. The two main chronicles differ slightly: one gives 634 as the year of completion, the other as the start of construction. The monk Jajang, who returned from Tang China and set the rules for Silla's clergy, lived here, and Wonhyo wrote many of his works at the temple. After Wonhyo's death his son Seol Chong is said to have made a statue from his remains and placed it here.

Excavations have shown that the original temple had three main halls arranged around a single pagoda. A 2008 dig found the site of the middle gate about 30 m south of the pagoda, confirming that the gate, pagoda and halls stood on a single north–south axis. Most of it was lost to the Mongol invasions and the Imjin War, and today's main hall, Bogwangjeon, dates from the Joseon period. In 2019 the whole site was designated a Historic Site.

What to see

• Stone brick pagoda: built around 634 and a National Treasure. Sources disagree on whether it originally had seven or nine storeys; three remain today. Each side of the ground floor has a doorway flanked by muscular guardian kings in relief, and stone lions sit at the four corners of the base.
• Samnyongbyeoneojeong well: a Silla well square on the outside, octagonal within and round at its core. It is the setting of a legend about the dragons that protected the kingdom.
• Bogwangjeon and the Medicine Buddha: the current hall enshrines the Buddha of healing. Records say that under King Gyeongdeok a giant Medicine Buddha was cast here from a huge quantity of copper.
• The thousand-armed Avalokitesvara story: an old chronicle tells of a child who went blind at the age of five and regained her sight after singing a prayer before a painting of the thousand-armed Avalokitesvara on a wall of the temple. The painting is long gone, but the tale shows how close the temple was to everyday faith in Silla.
• Stele base for Wonhyo: the Goryeo-era stele honouring Wonhyo is gone, but its base remains, inscribed later by the scholar Kim Jeong-hui.

Nearby

• Hwangnyongsa temple site: the vast site of Silla's greatest temple lies right next to Bunhwangsa.
• Gyeongju National Museum: the main museum of Silla treasures, not far from Bunhwangsa.
• Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, Cheomseongdae: a short way west, Silla's palace pond and observatory continue a walk through central Gyeongju's heritage sites.
• Tomb of Queen Seondeok: the queen who founded Bunhwangsa is buried on the slopes of Nangsan hill.

Tripto tips

• Opening hours: April–October 09:00–17:30, November–March 09:00–17:00, open every day. Admission is free.
• Combine it: Hwangnyongsa temple site is right next door. In spring, the barley fields around the temple turn green and make a pleasant walk.
• Time needed: 30 minutes for the temple, about 1.5 hours with Hwangnyongsa.