Donghwasa Temple

Donghwasa stands on the southern slopes of Palgongsan in Dohak-dong, Dong-gu, Daegu, about 22 km north-east of the city centre. It is the head temple of the 9th District of the Jogye Order, overseeing many temples across Daegu and North Gyeongsang. Climbing the forest paths you pass, in turn, stone relics over a thousand years old, an 18th-century main hall and a giant modern stone Buddha.

History: paulownia flowers in winter

According to the temple's own records, it was founded in 493, the 15th year of Silla's King Soji, by the monk Geukdal under the name Yugasa, and renamed in 832 when the master Simji rebuilt it. That winter the temple's paulownia trees burst into flower, which was taken as an auspicious sign, and the temple was named Donghwasa, "paulownia blossom". No 5th-century remains have been found, however, and many scholars date the real founding to the 9th century; the surviving stone pieces, such as the flagpole supports and the stone terrace at Geumdangam, are all in mid-9th-century style.

The Palgongsan area was also the scene of the Battle of Gongsan, where Wang Geon, founder of Goryeo, suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Gyeon Hwon of Later Baekje. Most of today's buildings were rebuilt between 1723 and 1732.

What to see

• Rock-carved seated Buddha (Treasure): carved high on a cliff to the right of the temple entrance, it shows the Buddha as if descending from the sky on clouds. It is dated to the late Unified Silla period, the 9th century.
• Daeungjeon main hall (Treasure): rebuilt around 1727–1732 under King Yeongjo. Its pillars are untrimmed, curving tree trunks, giving it a natural feel, and the doors have multicoloured carved flower lattices.
• Biroam three-storey pagoda and stone Vairocana Buddha: relics of a hermitage said to have been built in memory of Silla's King Minae.
• Tongil Yaksa Daebul: a 33 m stone Medicine Buddha made in 1992, now the temple's best-known landmark.

Good to know

• Where the divination stick fell: the Samguk Yusa tells how Simji, looking for a place to enshrine the divination sticks given by his teacher, threw them westward from the summit of Palgongsan; the wind carried them to a small well. The site of today's Geumdang Seon Centre (Geumdangam) is said to be that spot.
• An ordination temple of Goryeo: in 1036 Donghwasa, together with Yeongtongsa in Gaegyeong and Buinsa in Daegu, was named one of the official temples where monks sat examinations and received the precepts.
• Pagunjae: a statue of Shin Sung-gyeom, the general who died fighting in Wang Geon's place at the Battle of Gongsan, stands at the fork where the roads to Donghwasa and Pagyesa part. The place name Pagunjae is said to recall the army's defeat.
• Other names: old records and roof tiles also call the temple Dongsu or Dongsa.

Tripto tips

• Admission and hours: entry has been free since 4 May 2023. The grounds are open all year; keep quiet near the halls during services. Parking is free.
• Getting there: take the Express 1 bus from Dongdaegu Station or Line 1 Ayanggyo Station to the "Donghwasa Entrance" stop. Extra buses sometimes run on autumn-foliage weekends.
• When to go: autumn foliage season, when Palgongsan turns red, is the most beautiful but also the busiest. Around Buddha's Birthday the grounds fill with lanterns.
• Templestay: the temple runs templestay programmes open to international visitors.
• Time needed: allow 1.5–2.5 hours for the rock carving, the main hall and the great Buddha.