Dasolsa Temple

At the end of a pine-lined lane on the eastern slopes of Bongmyeongsan in Sacheon, Dasolsa is a temple whose story is said to go back to the Silla kingdom. Tea bushes climb the hillside behind the halls, and during the Japanese occupation the temple was a quiet meeting point for Han Yong-un, the monk-poet of the independence movement, while the novelist Kim Dong-ri finished his best-known story here. It is a good choice if you want tea fields and modern Korean history without the crowds of the big temples.

A temple that burned and rose again

The temple's records begin in 503, when the monk Yeongi is said to have founded Yeongaksa. The name changed several times under the monks Jajang, Uisang and Doseon, and the present one, "Dasol", is explained by a story that the mountain looks like a general leading a large army. Burned during the Japanese invasions of the 1590s, the temple was rebuilt in 1686, lost most of its halls to fire in 1748, and gained a new Daeyangnu Pavilion in 1758, along with a judgment hall and a guardian gate. A fire in December 1914 destroyed everything except Daeyangnu, so the other buildings you see today date from after that.

Han Yong-un, Kim Dong-ri and tea

Much of Dasolsa's modern fame comes from the monk Choe Beom-sul, abbot from 1928 to 1976. He founded a monastic school and the Gwangmyeong Academy here, and Han Yong-un, a central figure of the secret Buddhist independence society Mandang, stayed at the temple often; he even celebrated his 60th birthday here. In Ansimnyo, the residence where Han lived, Kim Dong-ri, then teaching at the academy, wrote his story "Deungsinbul" (The Gilded Buddha). Choe also worked to revive Korean tea culture, and the tea grown around the temple is known as Banyaro.

What to see

• Daeyangnu Pavilion: a two-storey pavilion near the entrance, five bays wide and four deep under a gabled roof. It is the oldest and largest building in the temple and became a Gyeongsangnam-do Tangible Cultural Heritage in 1974.
• Jeokmyeol Bogung and the relic stupa: on 8 February 1978, while the main hall's Buddha triad was being regilded, 108 sarira (relics) were found behind the altar painting. The hall was turned into a relic shrine and a stupa was built behind it.
• Geungnakjeon and Eungjinjeon: two small halls dedicated to Amitabha and to the arhats, listed as provincial heritage in 1985.
• Green tea fields: rows of tea bushes run up the slope behind the temple. From the upper rows you look across the temple roofs to the hills in the south.
• Ansimnyo: the residence linked to Han Yong-un and Kim Dong-ri. Monks live here, so view it quietly from outside.

A little further: Boanam Grotto

Elsewhere on Bongmyeongsan stands Boanam, a hermitage belonging to Dasolsa. Inside its stone-built grotto sit a seated Shakyamuni with a broken nose and 16 small stone Buddhas, which is why it is often compared to Seokguram in Gyeongju. Tradition dates it to the late Goryeo period, though the statues look like Joseon work. It became provincial heritage in 1972.

Near the grotto stands a group of five monks' stupas, and a weathered rock-carved Buddha thought to date from Unified Silla. After the modest halls of the main temple, the stillness of this mountain grotto is a fine reward if you enjoy walking.

Tripto tips

• When to go: April–May, when new tea leaves appear, and autumn for the colours. In summer the pine shade keeps the walk pleasant even at midday.
• Time needed: about 1 hour for the temple and tea fields, 2–3 hours if you add the walk to Boanam Grotto.
• Getting there: the address is 417 Dasolsa-gil, Gonmyeong-myeon, Sacheon. There is a car park below the temple and driving is by far the easiest option; buses are infrequent, so check times in a map app before you set off.
• Etiquette: the tea fields and residences adjoin the monks' living quarters. Respect any no-entry signs.
• Combine with: Jinju Fortress, roughly half an hour away by car, for a full day out.