A UNESCO World Heritage granite grotto 750 metres above sea level on Tohamsan mountain, housing one of the supreme works of Buddhist art in East Asia: a seated stone Buddha 3.5 metres tall, carved with extraordinary technical mastery in the 8th century. The figure sits at the centre of a domed rotunda whose walls are lined with carved relief figures — bodhisattvas, disciples, guardian kings — in a theological programme of exceptional sophistication.
The grotto faces east, aligned to receive the first rays of the rising sun on the sea horizon. A glass partition now separates visitors from the inner chamber to protect the humidity-sensitive stone, which diminishes the intimacy of the experience but doesn't diminish the impact of the art. About 3 km up the mountain from Bulguksa by road or forest path. Admission around 6,000 won; combined ticket with Bulguksa available.