If you’ve ever taken the bus from Gyeongju to Daegu, you might’ve caught a fleeting glimpse of a giant golden Buddha off in the mountains to the north. No, this isn’t some apparition induced by sleep deprivation or soju poisoning. This huge Buddha actually overlooks Manbulsa (만불사), or literally “Temple of Ten-thousand Buddhas,” nestled at [...]
Browsing the archives for the Statues & carvings category
1 Sep 10
6 Aug 10
Not to become a broken record or anything, but most tourists just bounce down to Gyeongju for a long weekend, hit up the big tourist sites, and head home Sunday night. It’s a shame really. You can barely even scratch the surface of what Gyeonju has to offer in 2 days. [...]
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Posted in Arts & crafts, Bomun-dong, Buddhist culture, Downtown, East Sea, Food & drink, Geumcheok-ri, Gyeongju, Gyo-dong, Namsan-dong, Outside Gyeongju, Ruins & remains, Sites to see, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10, hiking, history, shopping
Tagged Anapji Pond, ancient carvings, architecture, Bomun Resort, Bulguksa, cycling, downtown, East Sea, Eonyang, Gyeongju, Gyodong, hiking, history, Namsan, Restaurants, ruins, Seokkuram, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, temples, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10
Tagged Anapji Pond, ancient carvings, architecture, Bomun Resort, Bulguksa, cycling, downtown, East Sea, Eonyang, Gyeongju, Gyodong, hiking, history, Namsan, Restaurants, ruins, Seokkuram, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, temples, Tips for tourists, Tombs, Top 10
27 Jul 10
Koreans who take up wood carving often seem to develop an obsession with certain parts of the body, particularly the penis.
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Posted in Bulguk-dong, Korean culture, Other, Statues & carvings, guest writer
Tagged carving, guest writer, weird, wood carving
Tagged carving, guest writer, weird, wood carving
12 May 10
Coming up in about a week and a half is my absolute favorite holiday in Korea: Seokga Tanshinil (석가탄신일), or Buddha’s Birthday. Every temple in Korea celebrates Buddha’s Birthday one way or another. Most hang lanterns, have special ceremonies and serve a special group lunch or dinner for parishioners. A few of the larger or [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Bulguk-dong, Gyeongju, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists, holidays
Tagged ancient carvings, architecture, Buddha's Birthday, Buddhism, Bulguksa, Golgulsa, Gyeongju, holidays, lantern parade, Seokkuram, Seonmudo, sights to see, Spring, temples, Tips for tourists, video
Tagged ancient carvings, architecture, Buddha's Birthday, Buddhism, Bulguksa, Golgulsa, Gyeongju, holidays, lantern parade, Seokkuram, Seonmudo, sights to see, Spring, temples, Tips for tourists, video
4 May 10
Continued from Part 1:
5. The Buddha Boulder (부처바위) of Tapgol Valley (탑골): Tucked behind the quaint beauty of Oknyeongam Hermitage (옥룡암) in Tapgol (pagoda) Valley is a large rock outcropping covered with Buddhist carvings. There are dozens of cryptic images including meditating Buddhas, flying Devas, pagodas, and even winged lions! The quiet magic of [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Gyeongju, Statues & carvings, Tips for tourists, Top 10, history
Tagged ancient carvings, Buddhism, Byeondosan, cycling, Geumgangsan, Gyeongju, hiking, history, Namsan, ruins, Seokkuram, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, Tips for tourists, Top 10
Tagged ancient carvings, Buddhism, Byeondosan, cycling, Geumgangsan, Gyeongju, hiking, history, Namsan, ruins, Seokkuram, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, Tips for tourists, Top 10
28 Apr 10
One of the cool things about Gyeongu is that it’s literally covered with ancient stone Buddhas from the Unified Shilla Dynasty (통일 신라), most dating back to around the 7th or 8th centuries C.E. Very little is generally known about the sculptors who chiseled out these masterpieces way back when, though they were probably carved [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Gyeongju, Statues & carvings, Tips for tourists, Top 10, history
Tagged ancient carvings, Buddhism, Byeondosan, cycling, Geumgangsan, Gyeongju, hiking, history, Namsan, ruins, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, Tips for tourists, Top 10
Tagged ancient carvings, Buddhism, Byeondosan, cycling, Geumgangsan, Gyeongju, hiking, history, Namsan, ruins, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, Tips for tourists, Top 10
3 Apr 10
I know it’s all the trend these days, but I figured it was about time I sat down and wrote out my personal top ten “to do” list for Gyeongju. Some of these I’ve posted on already, and if I haven’t yet, I hope to soon. So here they are in brief; counting down from 10 [...]
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Posted in Buddhist culture, Festivals, Food & drink, Gyeongju, Restaurants, Ruins & remains, Statues & carvings, Temples & shrines, Tips for tourists, Top 10, hiking
Tagged ancient carvings, Buddhism, Bulguksa, cycling, Gyeongju, hiking, history, Korean food, Restaurants, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, Spring, temples, Tips for tourists, Top 10
Tagged ancient carvings, Buddhism, Bulguksa, cycling, Gyeongju, hiking, history, Korean food, Restaurants, Shilla Dynasty, sights to see, Spring, temples, Tips for tourists, Top 10
6 Feb 10
I’ve been running this blog now for almost 3 months and it’s nearly criminal I’ve not said anything yet about Mt. Namsan (남산) as I think it’s one of the coolest things about Gyeongju. Mt. Namsan’s not nearly as tall as some of the mountains around here (just under 500 meters actually) but what makes [...]
26 Jan 10
Though it’s not quite Korea’s answer to the Shaolin Monastery of China, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사) is one of the more unique temples in the Gyeongju area and it’s pretty darn cool. If you’re on your way over to King Munmu’s tomb (문무대왕릉) on the East Coast, it’s well worth taking an hour or so to [...]
