Dopiansa Temple, Cheorwon

Not far from the Demilitarized Zone, in the town of Dongsong in Cheorwon, a small temple shelters an iron Buddha that has sat here for more than a thousand years. Dopiansa's Iron Seated Vairocana Buddha carries an inscription on its back dating it to 865, which makes it a rare National Treasure with an exact date. The temple is modest in size, but between the statue, the stone pagoda and the legend behind its name, it is well worth a detour on a trip to Cheorwon.

The Buddha that chose its own home

The temple is said to have been founded in 865, in the reign of King Gyeongmun of Silla, by the monk Doseon. Doseon was carrying an iron Vairocana Buddha to Anyangsa Temple in Cheorwon when he stopped to rest, and the statue disappeared. After a long search he found it sitting calmly on the spot where the temple now stands, so he built a temple there. Because the Buddha had "reached the other shore", pian, a place of eternal rest, the temple was named Dopiansa.

Cheorwon saw some of the fiercest fighting of the Korean War, and Dopiansa burned down during the war. It is said that only the iron Buddha survived, buried in the earth of the ruined site; the halls you see today were rebuilt afterwards. Access to the area was once restricted for civilians, but today anyone can visit freely.

The iron Vairocana Buddha

The statue is 91 cm tall and a leading example of the iron Buddhas that were popular from late Silla into early Goryeo. Unusually, not only the figure but also its pedestal is made of iron.

• The hands: the right hand wraps around the raised index finger of the left in front of the chest, the classic gesture of Vairocana.
• The face: slender, kindly and calm, often described as looking like a living person.
• The pedestal: lotus carvings above and below an octagonal middle section, the most fashionable form of the period.

A pagoda on an octagonal base

The three-storey stone pagoda in front of the main hall is a national Treasure, about 4.1 m tall. Most pagodas stand on square bases, but this one rises from a tall two-tier octagonal base that recalls a Buddha's pedestal. The lower tier is carved with arch-shaped panels on all eight sides, and a thick band of lotus petals runs around the top. Its roof stones have four steps of supports on the first storey and three on the others, a sign of the transition from Unified Silla to Goryeo style.

A pagoda born with the Buddha

Judging from the inscription on the iron Buddha, the three-storey pagoda is thought to have been made together with the statue when the temple was founded in 865. Its octagonal base, so like a Buddha's pedestal, suggests that pagoda and statue were planned as a pair. The iron Vairocana itself represents the new style of Vairocana images that spread in late Unified Silla, admired for its balanced proportions and skilled modelling. Look at the Buddha in the hall first, then at the pagoda's octagonal base right outside, and the family resemblance is easy to spot.

Tripto tips

• Access: open all year with a car park. Please keep your voice down in the hall, where people come to pray.
• Time needed: 30–40 minutes from the entrance gate through the inner gate to the main hall and pagoda.
• Best time: around Buddha's Birthday the courtyard fills with lanterns, and early summer greenery is lovely too.
• Getting there: the temple is close to central Dongsong, a short taxi ride from Dongsong Intercity Bus Terminal. A car makes exploring Cheorwon much easier.
• Nearby: combine it with Goseokjeong on the Hantangang river gorge and the Cheorwon plain for a full day.