| Chungbuk Goesan County Joryeong-san Shinseon-bong Wonpung-ri Iche-bul Stone-Relief-Carvings of Buddhas in the Mungyeong-saejae Pass Area a cultural heritage site along the Baekdu-daegan |
This carving of two Buddhas sitting side-by-side is an extremely rare motif in Korean Buddhist art --
the only other examples are the cliff-carving at Jung-ryeong Pass and a bronze statue excavated at
Daejeon-sa Temple-site. Therefore, despite its crudity, it is designated as Treasure #97, under the
name "Goesan Wonpungri Ma-ae-bul Jwasang". It' from the Joseon Dynasty, but exact age and
purpose unknown -- there's no temple close-by.
It seems to represent Sakyamuni the Original Buddha (L) and Amitabha the Buddha of Western Paradise
[Amita-bul] (R). Could also be seen as a folk-shamanic male-female pair of Buddhas. They are carved
in relief on a 12-meter-high boulder-face, close to the old pathway of National Highway #3 -- which was
the late-Joseon "Yeongnam Great-Road" between the capital region and Gyeongsang Province (through
Jo-ryeong Pass). They have a dozen small buddhas "floating" in their halos -- a Cheontae [Tiantai] touch.
This site is just 2 km from the Shinseon-am-bong Peak on the central Baekdu-daegan ridgeline.
the only other examples are the cliff-carving at Jung-ryeong Pass and a bronze statue excavated at
Daejeon-sa Temple-site. Therefore, despite its crudity, it is designated as Treasure #97, under the
name "Goesan Wonpungri Ma-ae-bul Jwasang". It' from the Joseon Dynasty, but exact age and
purpose unknown -- there's no temple close-by.
It seems to represent Sakyamuni the Original Buddha (L) and Amitabha the Buddha of Western Paradise
[Amita-bul] (R). Could also be seen as a folk-shamanic male-female pair of Buddhas. They are carved
in relief on a 12-meter-high boulder-face, close to the old pathway of National Highway #3 -- which was
the late-Joseon "Yeongnam Great-Road" between the capital region and Gyeongsang Province (through
Jo-ryeong Pass). They have a dozen small buddhas "floating" in their halos -- a Cheontae [Tiantai] touch.
This site is just 2 km from the Shinseon-am-bong Peak on the central Baekdu-daegan ridgeline.
| Joryeong-san Mungyeong-saejae Index-Page Jo-ryeong Pass 3rd Gate with Sanshin-gak Eastern Jo-ryeong Pass and 1st Gate, 2nd Gate the TV-Movie Drama Village and Tea-Bowl Festival Juheul-san Bu-bong Peak and Hyeguk-sa Temple Shinseon-bong Eastern Jo-ryeong Pass and Gosari Village area |
| the fine photos on this page were taken by "Hike Korea" entrepreneur Roger Shepherd |