Bulgulksa Temple:
prayer mounds
dabotap
years old beautiful architecture
a little more recent, but still beautifulSeokkuram
Seokkuram is a hermitage and part of the Bulguksa temple complex. It lies four kilometers east of the temple on Mt. Tohamsan, in Gyeongju, South Korea. The grotto overlooks the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and rests 750 meters above sea level. In 1962, it was designated the 24th national treasure of Korea. In 1995, Seokguram was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Bulguksa Temple. It exemplifies some of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world. [1]
Seokkuram is a hermitage and part of the Bulguksa temple complex. It lies four kilometers east of the temple on Mt. Tohamsan, in Gyeongju, South Korea. The grotto overlooks the Sea of Japan (East Sea) and rests 750 meters above sea level. In 1962, it was designated the 24th national treasure of Korea. In 1995, Seokguram was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List together with the Bulguksa Temple. It exemplifies some of the best Buddhist sculptures in the world. [1]
It is said to have been built by Gim Daeseong and originally called Seokbulsa (석불사, Stone Buddha Temple). Construction began in 742 when Gim Daeseong resigned his position in the king's court or in 751, the 10th year of the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Silla. This time period was the cultural peak of Unified Silla. The grotto was completed by the Silla court in 774, shortly after Gim's death. An old legend stated that Gim was reincarnated for his filial acts in his previous life. The legend relates that the Bulguksa Temple was dedicated to Gim’s parents in his present life while the Seokguram Grotto was dedicated to Gim's parents from a previous life.
It is now one of the best known cultural destinations in South Korea. A viewing of the sunrise over the sea is said to illuminate the whole room. (information from the infamous Wikipedia)
Gyeong-ju from the parking lot before Seokkuram
rocks that, to me, looked similar to the statues from Easter Island
the above building houses the amazingly beautiful grotto known as Seokkuram (we were unable to take pictures of the actual grotto, but one can click on the links in the info above to find out more)
the road (i.e steps) was actually like hiking a small mountain
the view from the aforementioned building that houses Seokkuram
lanterns with prayers from a recent ceremonyFlower Observatory:
gazebo in the middle
the huge leaves that my friend Sanjoe proved could be used as umbrellas in the event one doesn't have an umbrella
i wanted to take a million pictures of this one lotus flower, it was perfect.
oh the beauty that will be when it fully blossoms
other than the color, this picture looks as if it could've been taken years ago, as with so much of what is South Korea today
I was totally enamored by this field of flowers
despite the fact that his was a maintained field also part of the observator, there was an element of wildness and things untamed, which made it that much more beautiful
side by side to the end
beauty mark
at the right place at the right time
"as the spirit wanes, the form appears"
the tower used for mapping the stars
these mounds are actually tombs of the kings and queens of the Silla Dynasty
more mounds (the bigger the mound, the higher up in the hierarchy one was)
this is a king/queen mound along with officials next to it
I loved all the colors on this street vendor's cart because they really stood out with the greenness of everything and the setting of the sun in the background.
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