Bunhwangsa

One of the oldest surviving Buddhist structures in Korea: a three-storey stone pagoda built in 634 AD from andesite blocks cut to resemble brick, standing about 9 metres tall in what was once a much larger temple complex. The pagoda originally had nine storeys, reduced by war damage and Japanese colonial demolition. Four stone lion guardians sit at its base; small carved Buddha reliefs mark each storey.

The temple grounds also contain a stone well where the monk Wonhyo is said to have purified himself. The complex is active and uncrowded; less visited than Bulguksa but more atmospheric for a contemplative visit. Near the National Museum. Admission around 1,500 won.

things to do sight
A story
The monk Wonhyo, one of the most influential thinkers in Korean Buddhist history, was associated with Bunhwangsa. He supposedly achieved enlightenment here after accidentally spending the night in a tomb — when he reached for water in the dark and drank it, then discovered in the morning he'd drunk from a bowl sitting in a skull, he realised that reality is constructed by the mind. He subsequently wrote prolifically and became Korea's first Buddhist saint.

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