Jeungsimsa Temple

(Image: utour.gwangju.go.kr)

Jeungsimsa temple is a representative temple in Mudeung Mountain of Gwangju. First founded by Buddhist monk Cheolgamseonsa Do Yun in 860 (Silla dynasty), the temple was remodeled by Buddhist monk Hyejoguksa in 1094 (Goryeo Dynasty) and again by Kim Bang in 1443 (Joseon Dynasty). Obackjeon hall was built out in the third rebuilding to wish national prosperity and welfare on the people, but it was burned down during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1597. Obaekjeon Hall at the Jeungsimsa temple has a tale that is connected with ants. A long time ago, Gim Bang found a big ant nest at the construction site of Gyeongyangbangjuk dike. Kim Bang safely moved the ants nest to the foot of Mudeungsan Mountain, because he was deeply touched by the merciful heart of Buddha. At that time, his deepest thought was to provide food for many workers at the construction site. One day, when he went into the food warehouse, ants entered the warehouse in a line, holding rice in their mouths. The line of ants kept coming in until the very end of the construction. Kim Bang built the Obaekjeon Hall in Jeungsimsa temple and placed the 500 Buddhas Statue in it.

Jeungsimsa temple was a fortified point of the anti-Japanese Buddhist party movement in the early days of Japanese imperialism. Unfortunately all other things were burned due to a fire which occurred during the Korean War, except for Obaekjeon hall and Nojeon hall. The current buildings of Jeungsimsa temple are Obaekjeon Hall, Sansingak Tower, Birojeon Hall, Daeungjeon hall, Jijangjeon hall, Jeongmukdang room, Haengwondang room, a bell tower and Iljumun (the first gate of the temple). Most of the buildings were restored between the 1970s and 1980s, except for Obaekjeon hall, which avoided the calamity of the Korean War. There are monks’ rooms (Wolamdang room and Suwoldang room), pagodas of monks, a completion monument, a charity monument, and a memorial monument in a line at the very left when we pass through the first gate built in 1980s. The place for these monuments had been located under the Chwibaengnu tower that was recently built, but it was recently relocated to its present location. There are stone stairs to the foot of the temple. It is said that Chwibaengnu tower was in this place originally. Chwibaengnu tower has now been relocated and placed a little to the right because it was burned down during the war. The first floor is an office for the temple, and the second floor is a multipurpose space where people can hold Buddhist ceremonies and meetings.

The metal engraving of Vairocana (a Buddha) sedentary statue was designated National Treasure No. 131. Most hands of the Vairocana have the index finger of the left hand covering the right hand but the Vairocana of the Jeungsimsa temple is unusually reversed. This Buddhist image arrests our eyes because it has a human expression like our human faces, not a dignified expression like other Buddhist images. The oldest one of the cultural assets in the Jeungsimsa temple is the Three-story Stone Tower. This tower was designated Tangible Cultural Properties No.1, and is a small tower of 3.4 meters height. The tower is presumed to have been built in the late Silla dynasty according to the shape of it. There is a Sansingak (a small building where a mountain god lives) that was built leaning on a rock wall between Obaekjeon and Birojeon, where the tale of Gim Bang and the ants has been passed down. There is a mountain god Buddha in this unusually shaped Sansingak. In addition, the letters “seoseoksansinjiwi” are engraved on a rock wall behind the Birojeon Hall. Seoseok Mountain means Mudeung Mountain, so the tablet of the Mudeung Mountain god is here. Originally, the tablet of the mountain god was just behind the Sansingak building but people don’t know since when the tablet of the mountain god has stood apart from the building.

Address: Ullim-dong, Dong-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City 56

Tel: 0082-062-2260107

Website: http://www.jeungsimsa.org