Hoeamsa Temple Site, Yangju

On the southwestern slope of Cheonbosan in Yangju, a broad site of stone terraces stepping up the hillside is all that remains of Hoeamsa. From the late Goryeo period into early Joseon it was the largest temple in the country, a royal temple where King Taejo, founder of Joseon, lived and practised after giving up the throne. The buildings are gone, but the foundation stones and terraces convey its scale, and the museum just below brings it back to life.

Founded by an Indian monk, raised by royals

Tradition holds that Hoeamsa was first built in 1328 by Jigong (Dhyānabhadra), an Indian monk who came to Korea via Yuan China, though there may have been a temple here even earlier. In 1376 his disciple Naong, convinced that "if a temple is built here, the Buddha's teaching will flourish", began rebuilding it on a grand scale. Taejo had Naong's disciple – and his own teacher – Master Muhak stay here, and after abdicating he lived here himself.

Under King Seongjong, Queen Jeonghui (King Sejo's widow) had the temple enlarged in a project that took 13 years, and under King Myeongjong, with the patronage of Queen Munjeong, it became the leading temple in the land. After Munjeong's death, amid the suppression of Buddhism, the temple was burned and left in ruins.

Reading a royal temple from its ruins

Although it sits on a mountainside, Hoeamsa had a southern corridor like temples on flat land and like palaces – a rare surviving example of Goryeo palace and temple planning. The slope was levelled into a series of terraces with buildings set on top, so from the upper levels you can see the whole layout at a glance. Within the site stands a relic stupa commissioned by the early Joseon court (designated a Treasure in 2021); it has the tallest base of any surviving stupa of its kind, densely carved with dragons, qilin and guardian deities.

Up to the three masters' stupas

About 500 m above the ruins is the present-day Hoeamsa temple, and on the ridge nearby stand the stupas of the three monks Jigong, Naong and Muhak in a row.

• Stupa of Master Muhak (Treasure): its inscription dates it to 1407. The round body is covered with dragons and clouds.
• Twin-lion stone lantern (Treasure): in front of Muhak's stupa, two lions form the middle support of the lantern. Its square plan, instead of the traditional octagon, stands out.
• Stele of Royal Preceptor Seongak: dedicated to Naong, with a text by Yi Saek and calligraphy by Gwon Jung-hwa. A fire in its shelter in 1997 cracked the stone, so the original is kept at the Gyeonggi Provincial Museum and a replica stands on the original stone turtle base.

Hoeamsa Site Museum

Opened in 2012, the Yangju City Hoeamsaji Museum uses roof tiles, ceramics and decorative ridge figures from the site to show the status and daily life of the royal temple. Hoeamsa Temple Site is on Korea's tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage and is preparing for nomination.

Tripto tips

• Temple site: an open-air site you can explore without a ticket.
• Museum: March–October 09:00–18:00, November–February 09:00–17:00, last entry one hour before closing. Closed Mondays, 1 January, Seollal and Chuseok. Adults KRW 2,000, teenagers and soldiers KRW 1,500, primary-school children KRW 1,000; free for under-6s and over-65s.
• Time needed: about 1.5 hours for the museum and the ruins, 2.5 hours if you walk up to the stupas at Hoeamsa temple.
• Getting there: the address is 11 Hoeamsa-gil, Yangju. From Deokjeong Station (Line 1) take bus 78 to "Hoeamsa Ipgu" and walk 5 minutes; from Deokgye Station take bus 700 to the "Hoeamsaji Museum" stop. Museum parking is free.