Golgulsa Temple

Stairs and railings cling to a yellowish cliff riddled with holes, and from the highest point a Buddha gazes out towards the East Sea. Golgulsa is a cave temple at the foot of Hamwolsan near Gyeongju. Twelve caves open in a tuff cliff tens of metres high, but the temple is now better known as the home of Seonmudo, a Buddhist martial art, which has earned it the nickname "the Shaolin Temple of Korea".

History: caves opened by travellers from India

About 1,500 years ago, the story goes, a sage named Gwangyu arrived from India with his companions, settled on Hamwolsan and founded Golgulsa and nearby Girimsa. Because it was modelled on Indian cave temples, it is described as the oldest cave temple in Korea. A painting by the 18th-century artist Jeong Seon shows tiled wooden halls built in front of the caves; today only marks in the rock remain. Long abandoned after a fire, it became an active temple again in the 20th century and now belongs to the Bulguksa group.

What to see

• Rock-carved Seated Buddha (Treasure): carved into a natural hollow at the highest of the twelve caves. The face is strongly modelled, the body flat, and the robe falls in regular parallel folds. It is dated to the late Unified Silla period, the 9th century, and was designated a Treasure in 1974. Look for traces of the lotus halo around the head and the flame-patterned halo around the body.
• Cave shrines: caves such as Gwaneumgul, Jijanggul, Yaksagul and Nahangul each hold a small shrine to a different Buddha or bodhisattva. You climb between them on steps and handholds set into the rock.
• Folk beliefs: rocks associated with pre-Buddhist fertility worship are also part of the site, a typical feature of Korean cave temples.

Good to know

Seonmudo combines meditation, breathing and physical training in a traditional Buddhist practice. Golgulsa runs temple stays where both Koreans and foreigners can learn it. The Buddha faces south-east, towards the Gameunsa temple site and the underwater Tomb of King Munmu, and the link between the three places has inspired various interpretations.

Nearby

• Gameunsa temple site: begun by King Munmu and completed by his son King Sinmun in 682, with two three-storey stone pagodas (National Treasure) still standing. The floor of the main hall was raised over a hollow space, thought to let Munmu, reborn as a sea dragon, come and go.
• Tomb of King Munmu: a rocky islet off the coast in front of Gameunsa, the underwater tomb of the king who vowed to protect his country as a dragon after death.
• Girimsa Temple: the temple on Hamwolsan that, like Golgulsa, is said to have been founded by the sage Gwangyu.

Tripto tips

• Seonmudo performance: a demonstration is listed daily at 15:30 in the temple grounds, except Mondays. Times can change, so check before you go.
• Visiting: the temple can be visited 08:00–18:00, admission is free and there is a car park.
• Walking: reaching the Buddha means climbing steep steps between the rocks. Wear shoes with good grip and take care after rain. 1–2 hours is enough for the whole visit.