Taeansa Temple

Taeansa lies deep in a valley of Dongnisan in Jukgok-myeon, Gokseong, and was the head temple of the Dongnisan school, one of the Nine Mountain Schools of Seon Buddhism in Unified Silla. The forest path of about 1.8 km along the stream from the temple entrance is beautiful, and Neungpagak, a pavilion straddling the stream, has become the temple's signature. Several stupas, steles and a bell designated as Treasures make it a rewarding visit.

One of the Nine Mountain Schools

According to tradition, three unnamed monks founded the temple in 742, the first year of King Gyeongdeok of Unified Silla. Its original name was Daeansa. In 847 the Seon master Hyecheol (785–861) founded the Dongnisan school here, and the temple became famous as a Seon centre. In early Goryeo his successor Yunda (864–945), honoured as Master Gwangja, enlarged it greatly, to 110 or 132 kan (bays) depending on the source. Records say that at that time even Songgwangsa and Hwaeomsa were branch temples of Taeansa.

In 1223 the military ruler Choe U rebuilt it, and in early Joseon Grand Prince Hyoryeong, King Taejong's second son, stayed here. During the Korean War 15 buildings, including the main hall, burned down, so most of what you see today was rebuilt afterwards. When the writer Choe Nam-seon visited in 1925, he described Taeansa as a famous temple since Silla times and the first Seon temple in the land, a place that felt like a sacred realm from the beginning of time. Tucked deep in its valley, the temple still makes much the same first impression.

Along the valley

• Neungpagak: a bridge and pavilion in one, built over the stream. Crossing the water is itself the entrance to the temple, and reaching this building at the end of the forest path is the high point of a visit.
• Iljumun (One-Pillar Gate, Treasure): the first gate of the temple, just beyond Neungpagak.
• Stupa and stele of Master Gwangja (Treasures): near the entrance. The octagonal stupa survives almost complete from base to finial, which is rare, and its body is carved with incense burners on tables. The stele, erected in 950, has lost its inscribed body, leaving the turtle base and the capstone; look for the carved bird on the front of the capstone.
• Stupa of Master Jeogin (Treasure): the octagonal stupa of Hyecheol, thought to date from around his death in 861, with finely carved lions on the base and Four Heavenly Kings on the body. The underside of the roof stone shows rafters and the top shows tile ridges and end tiles, as if a timber roof had been translated into stone. It is counted among the finest stupas of late Unified Silla.
• Three-storey pagoda in the pond: it stands on an island in the middle of a pond, and its reflection is one of the best views in the grounds.
• Bronze bell (Treasure): first cast in 1457, broken and recast in 1581. The large cymbals once used for the monks' dance are also a Treasure.

Tripto tips

• Visiting: open from sunrise to sunset, with parking. Phone: 061-363-6669.
• Walk it: the stream-side forest path from the temple entrance up to Neungpagak is the heart of the experience, so walk it slowly if you can.
• Time needed: 1.5–2.5 hours for the valley path both ways and the temple.
• Seasons: the valley is at its best in autumn colours; spring greenery and summer shade are also lovely.
• Getting there: the temple is about 18 km in a straight line from Gokseong Station on the Jeolla Line, deep in the hills, so a car or taxi is the realistic option.