Shilla Tombs of Tumuli Park, Gyeongju
One of the things that make Gyeongju noticeably unique among Korean cities are all of the ancient Shilla hill tombs scattered about. Some of them are pretty darn impressive actually, as they range from one to two millennia old and most of them are at least a couple stories high. Not to mention there are over 150 of them around the area. Seen from above they look like mushrooms sprouting up all over the city after a rain. read more
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 more historically important temples will host special musical performances or hold a lantern parade in the evening, just after sun down.
This year, Seokga Tanshinil falls on Friday, May 21st. In Gyeongju, there are 3 particularly special events that happen for Buddha’s Birthday that shouldn’t be missed. If you’ve got a car, or you’re adventurous with public transit, you could easily hit all 3: read more
Buddha Boulder of Tapgol Valley, Mt. Namsan Gyeongju
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 Oknyeongam Hermitage and the mystery of Buddha Boulder make Pagoda Valley one of my favorite spots on Namsan.
Maitreya Buddha of Samneung Valley, Gyeongju
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 as a form of Buddhist meditation practice. Heck, every mountain around here has at least one ancient Buddha on it and Mt. Namsan (남산) has at least a few dozen.
If you’re a history junky like me, or you’re just looking to do some hiking or sight-seeing, here are my personal top 10 ancient stone Buddhas of Gyeongju. As this post has snowballed into something bigger than I’d planned, so I’m splitting it into 2 parts. Here are 10 through 6 on my list. I’ll be posting my top 5 here in a day or two.
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 to 1:
Bunghwangsa Temple, Gyeongju
10. Take a walk around the ancient, 3-storied pagoda of Bunghwangsa (분황사) Temple when the fall leaves are changing. read more
Four-sided Buddha of Gulbulsa, Gyeongju
Just a few blocks down from City Hall in Dongcheon-dong is one of the lesser known historical gems in Gyeongju, the four-sided Buddha of Gulbulsa Temple (굴불사). The original Shilla era structures of Gulbulsa are long gone, but remaining is a striking four-sided Buddha, or samyeonseokbul (사면석불), chiseled out of a large boulder. In fact, it’s the legend behind this carved rock that gave the temple it’s curious moniker: Gulbulsa, or “Digging Buddha Temple.” read more
Chilbulam Hermitage (칠불암)
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 it so special is that it’s covered with over 100 stone Buddha’s and other Shilla Dynasty relics dating back about 1,500 years. It’s also got some pretty gnarly rock formations and a fair share of Buddhist temples, which can make for some fun hikes. read more
Sakyamuni Buddha, Golgulsa Temple (골굴사)
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 stop off here and check it out. read more
It’s been a little while since I’ve updated the links, so here’s a run down of a few websites and blogs I’ve dug up in the last month or so.
If you’re new to Korea or want to learn more about Korean food, my friend Pete hooked me up with a link to TriFood.com. It’s focus is on promoting Korean food in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, but it’s got a very thorough glossary of Korean Cuisine. Not to mention, there’s a bunch of recipes worth trying out if you’re handy in the kitchen.
Speaking of Korean food, One fork, One spoon is a pretty awesome food blog by Grace Meng. Grace covers Korean cuisine along with a fair mix of Mexican, Spanish and Argentinean. She’s got dozens of posts including Korean recipes and restaurant reviews. Keep an eye out for her Korean cookbook coming out soon. read more
The Legend of Asadal and Asanyeo (exterior of "Asadal" bar in Gyeongju)
If you’ve had the pleasure of visiting Bulguksa temple (불국사), you’ve probably admired the twin masterpieces of Seokgatap (석가탑) and Dabotap (다보탑) pagodas in the main courtyard (if you haven’t yet, Dabotap is on the face side of the 10 won coin). What you may not have known is that there is a tragic legend of Shakespearean proportions tied to these pagodas. In fact, it’s this legend that’s given them their nicknames of Yongtap, or “Shadow Pagoda”, and Muyongtap, or “No Shadow Pagoda.” read more
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