Bulguksa Temple

One of the most celebrated Buddhist temples in Korea, founded in the 8th century during the Silla period's golden age and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The temple climbs the forested lower slopes of Tohamsan mountain through a series of terraces connected by stone stairways and bridges — the Blue Cloud and White Cloud bridges leading to the main hall are original Silla construction, over 1,200 years old and too precious to walk on.

The two stone pagodas in the main courtyard are masterpieces of Silla stonework: the three-storey Seokgatap (simple and serene) and the complex multi-tiered Dabotap (found on the ten-won coin). The golden main hall, Daeungjeon, was reconstructed after the Japanese invasions of the 1590s but houses a gilded Shakyamuni Buddha original to the Silla period. Admission around 6,000 won.

things to do sight
A story
The two stone pagodas in Bulguksa's main courtyard — Dabotap and Seokgatap — were built by a craftsman named Asadal, who came from Baekje kingdom to construct them. Legend says his wife Asanyeo waited for him at the temple gate for so long that, when she finally threw herself into the reflection pond in grief, the pond came to be called the Shadow Reflection Pond. Asadal never received permission to enter and see the finished work.

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