Pear Flowers of Nae Tae Village, Gyeongju
The other Sunday the sun was finally shining after a solid week of rain. My wife and I hopped in the car and took off to explore the countryside determined to enjoy some of the hard-earned Spring weather. As luck would have it, we drifted back some country roads going west out of town, and found ourselves in a remote farming valley in the shadow of Mt. Eorimsan (어림산).
Nae Tae Village, Gyeongju
Just before the road turned up over the ridge we stumbled upon the farm village of Nae Tae Maeul (내태마을). Nae Tae village is tucked in a little valley filled with Asian pear (배) orchards which just happened to be in bloom. We strolled around a bit through the flowers a bit, soaking up the sunshine and trying not to get stung by bees.
Pear Orchards of Nae Tae Village, Gyeongju
On our way back from frolicking in the blossoms, we stopped in at the Village temple of Bokwonsa (복원사). Bokwonsa Temple is neither famous nor historically important, but still it posses a quiet charm typical of a lot of smaller village temples in Korea. The courtyard was all decked out in lanterns in preparation for Buddha’s Birthday next week. And from the new-looking statues and pagodas, I doubt the temple is lacking for donations. The middle-aged care taker was welcoming. She served us some yummy barley tea and chatted with us as best she could given the language barrier.
Bokwonsa Temple, Gyeongju
Bokwonsa Temple, Gyeongju
She did show us one curiosity about Bokwonsa: it’s got a little cave shrine carved about 30 feet back into the mountain. According to the matron, it was dug as a summer chapel to escape the heat (sure enough, it was about 20 degrees cooler inside) and took about three years to carve out of the solid rock. Interestingly, the chapel is dedicated to Ji-jang Bosal (지장보살), or Ksitigarbha, the Bodhisattva of the Underworld. Ji-jang Bosal is respected in Mahayana Buddhism as he has vowed not to enter Nirvana until all the hell realms are emptied of the last suffering beings. I reckon he must have a pretty big job on his hands.
Cave Shrine of Bokwonsa Temple, Gyeongju
Cave Shrine of Bokwonsa Temple, Gyeongju
Anyhow, if you’re itching for a Sunday drive in the country and are interested in cruising out to Nae Tae village and Bokwonsa Temple, take the 927 going west out of town from Geumjang-dong (금장동). Go under under the train tracks, past highway 28 and under highway 20. Hook a right when you get to the Gyeongju Design School, and just follow your nose back through the valley.
