"Gyeongju (Kyongju) - A Journ ..." a Kyongju Travel Page by Eurasian68

Overlooking the East Sea far ahead beyond the mountain ridges from the southeastern tip of the Korean Peninsula, Seokguram stands as a proud testimony to Korea's brilliant tradition of classical Buddhist sculpture. A small but noble pantheon of divinities symbolizing Buddhist philosophy and aestheticism, the eighth-century cave temple is a structure of sublime beauty culminating religious belief, science and fine arts which flowered in the golden age of Asian art. Seokguram is located near the tummit of Mt. Tohamsan, east of the historic city of Gyeongju, capital of the Silla dynasty (57B.C.-A.D.935).

It is reached after an hour-long walk up a steep, winding mountain path over some 4km from Bulguksa, another famous temple dating to the eighth century when Silla was at the peak of its strength. The capital of Silla rivalled in splendor the Dang capital of Jangan and its culture shared in the international character of Dang at this time when all of East Asia enjoyed unprecedented peace and prosperity.

After Silla unified the peninsula in the mid-seventh century by conquering the rival states of Goguryeo and Baekje, Buddhism not only served a religious function but was looked upon as a protective force. Temples of magnificent scale were erected in and around Gyeongju as they were regarded as a supernatural defense against external threats and bastions of national consciousness. According to the scant historical records available today, both Seokguram and Bulguksa, the two supreme accomplishments of Silla Buddhist architecture, were built under the supervision of Kim Dae-seong, who came from the royal family and served as prime minister under the reign of King Gyeongdeok.

The construction began in 742, the year after Kim resigned from his top position in court. He died in 774 without seeing the completion of the historic projects several years later under the reign of King Hyegong. As a complement to Bulguksa, which was dedicated to the present generation, the granite temple of Seokguram is said to have been intended to honor those who had been Kim's parents in his previous life. Whoever the patron or whatever the motivation, Seokguram was apparently designed as a private chapel for royalty considering its scale, philosophical depth and aesthetic standard, whereas Bulguksa, a grand complex of various worship halls and pagodas, was intended as a state monastery to serve the public.

Too small and cozy to have been conceived as a place for congregation in spite of the enormous resources required for its construction, the grotto shrine represents a pinnacle of religious sculpture not only in Korea but in all of East Asia.

Though inspired by the cave temples of ancient India and China, Seokguram differs in construction to its prototypes which were mostly built by digging into hillsides and carving on natural rocks.

As the name indicates, Bulguksa was designed as a realization of the blissful land of the Buddha in the present world. It was intended to embody the happy land where the mortal being is released from the suffering of life by following the teachings of the Buddha, or the Lotus Land as promised in the Avatamsaka Sutra, which offered the theoretical foundation for construction of the temple. Therefore, the temple had to be not only faithful to the teachings of the Buddha but beautiful as well. It is obvious that prominent monks and artists contributed their thoughts and aesthetic ingeniousness to build the temple under the guidance of Kim Dae-Seong, who was a devoted believer and able administrator with a remarkable eye for beauty.

An imposing complex of beautiful wooden shrines and stone pagodas built upon decorative stone terraces, the temple stands on the western midslope of Mt. Tohamsan overlooking fertile plains and the mythical mountain, Namsan, beyond. The elevated compound is reached by climing up thirty-three stone stairs adorned with elaborate railings, named the Bridge of White Cloud and the Bridge of Blue Cloud, which symbolize the thirty-three heavens.

The cloistered sanctuary is divided into two realms, the land of Seokgamoni Buddha and the land of Amitabha, the Buddha of Boundless Light. The "impure land" of Seakgamoni Buddha is larger and higher than the "pure land" of Amitabha.

One of the tombs belongs to King Mich'u, the 13th king of the Shilla Dynasty. A seventh-generation descendant of Kim Alchi, Mich'u was the first King to come from the clan Kim founded. During his 22-year reign, the king led Shilla to become a powerful country and defended it from invasions by neighboring Paekche. After his death, the country came under attack. Legends tell of soldiers with bamboo leaves in their ears appearing out of his tomb to repell the invaders. The tomb is thus called Chukhyonnung or "Bamboo Soldier Tomb."

During the excavations of Cheonmachong (Heavely Horse Tomb) and Hwangnamdaech'ong (a double gourd-shaped tomb), numerous artifacts (including a gold crown, gold girdles, gold and siver personal ornaments, horse fittings, and weapons) were uncovered, all of which attest to the advanced culture of Shilla. During the making of Tumuli Park, a number of ancient tombs were investigated. These included not only stone-piled wood-lined chamber tombs, but also jar-coffin tombs, stone-lined chamber tombs, and tunnel-type tombs, revealing the various burial methods during the Shilla period.