Gaeamsa Temple
Daeungjeon Hall and Buildings inside Gaeamsa Temple The interior of Gaeamsa Temple located in Gamgyo-ri, Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun. In the center is Daeungbojeon Hall. In front of the hall are Jijangjeon Hall on the left and Eungjinjeon Hall on the right. Behind Gaeamsa Temple Ulgeumbawi Rock is visible.
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Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- CategoryTour/ Temple ∙ Local Confucian school
- Korean개암사
- Chinese開巖寺
- FieldReligion / Buddhism
- Contents TypeOrganization / Buddhist Temple
- Oroginal Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Current Location248, Gaeam-ro Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do
- Definition
- A Buddhist temple belonging to the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism located in Gamgyo-ri of Sangseo-myeon, Buan-gun, Jeollabuk-do.
- Background of Construction and Development
- Gaeamsa Temple was established in the kingdom of Baekje in 634, renovated in 676 by the two great Silla Buddhist monks Wonhyo (617-686) and Uisang (625-702), and enlarged into a major monastery of Goryeo (918-1392) in 1276, when State Preceptor Wongam built about thirty buildings at the temple sanctuary. The temple was renovated in 1414 at the order of Seontan, but it was destroyed by fire during the Imjin waeran, the seven-year war waged between Korea and Japan following the Japanese invasion of Korea (then Joseon) in 1592. It was renovated again in 1636 by the monk Gyeho, while its main dharma hall, Daeungjeon Hall, was rebuilt by the monks Miryeong and Hyejing in 1658.
Myeongbujeon Hall was rebuilt in 1728 by Beopcheon and Changyeong, while Haseoam, Seokjuam and Woljeongam Hermitages were added to it in 1733. The temple was enshrined with the statues of the Ten Kings and the Sixteen Arhats in 1733, and was renovated yet again in 1783 by Seungdam.
In the last century or so, the temple has undergone further changes: the Meditation Hall (Seondang) was built in 1913 by Hwaeun; Daeungbojeon Hall was dismantled and reassembled in 1960; Eunghyanggak Hall was restored in 1993; Iljumun Gate was built in 1994; and Eungjinjeon Hall was recently dismantled and reassembled. More recently, a project to paint the Iljumun Gate in the decorative dancheong style was completed, and the Cheonhwangmun Gate and Gaeam Teahouse were newly built.
- Activity
- Gaeamsa Temple organizes regular dharma gatherings on every first day of the lunar month, holds prayer meetings dedicated to Avalokitesvara, Ksitigarbha, and the Divine Guardians, and stages major folk festivities such as the Buddhist All Soul’s Day (Baekjung), Beginning of Spring (Ipchun), and Winter Solstice (Dongji). The temple also carries out diverse activities to support the local community, the economically disadvantaged in particular, and grants scholarships to children from multicultural families, teenage bread winners, and students who serve as PR ambassadors for Byeonsanbando National Park. The temple has also been operating a temple stay program since 2013.
- Current Status including the Organizational and Architectural Status
- A subsidiary Seonunsa temple, the head temple of the 24th diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, Gaeamsa Temple consists of a main entrance (Iljumun Gate), Gaeamchadang Hall , a bell tower, Jijangjeon Hall, Eungjinjeon Hall, Daeungbojeon Hall, Gwaneumjeon Hall, a temple office, and a dormitory (yosachae).
Among the most notable temple buildings, Daeungjeon Hall is a three-bay by three-bay structure with a hip-and-gable roof, and enshrines the Shakyamuni Buddha and his two attendants, Manjusri and Samantabhadra. The building is particularly notable for its grand columns, which lend it a stable, imposing appearance, and its decorative dragon head and phoenix motifs.
Daeungbojeon Hall’s name was inscribed on its name plaque by Yi Gwang-sa (1705-1777), a great calligrapher of late Joseon who created his own calligraphic style, Wongyo Script, and the True Script of the Eastern State (Dongguk Jinchae). Gwaneumjeon Hall is a three-bay by two-bay structure with a gable roof, while Jijangjeon Hall is a three-bay by two-bay structure with a hip-and-gable roof, and Eungjinjeon Hall is a five-bay by two-bay building with a hip-and-gable roof.
On the peak of the hill rising behind the temple stands a large rock named Ugeumam. The temple is currently headed by Daewon and attended by about 200 laymen and laywomen.
- Related Heritage Items and Sites
- Gaeamsa Temple contains a number of valuable cultural properties protected by law, including its main dharma hall, Daeungjeon Hall of Gaeamsa Temple (Treasure No. 292); The Hanging Scroll of the Vulture Peak Assembly in Gaeamsa Temple and Its Draft (Treasure No. 1269); The Bronze Bell of Gaeamsa Temple (Provincial Tangible Cultural Heritage of Jeollabuk-do No. 126); The Sixteen Arhats of Eungjinjeon Hall in Gaeamsa Temple (Provincial Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 179); The Seated Stone Buddha of Cheongnim-ri (Provincial Tangible Cultural Heritage No. 123).
Daeungjeon Hall is a three-bay by three-bay structure with a hip-and-gable roof dating back to the mid-Joseon period. The hanging scroll listed as Treasure No. 1269 was produced in 1749 and measures 13.25m in length and 9m in width. The temple bell was made in 1689.
Ugeumam Rock, a large rock standing on the summit of Ugrumsan Mountain (331m) behind Gaeamsa Temple, is famous as a part of the historic site of Juryuseong Fortress, where a group of Baekje people crowned Prince Buyeo Pung as the leader for their movement to restore Baekje, which lasted for three years from 660 to 663. Gaeamsa Temple is also famous as the birthplace of Gaeam Jugyeom, a type of “bamboo salt” that has long been used to promote health. It was the monks of Gaeamsa Temple who invented the method of making bamboo salt by stuffing a bamboo tube with sea salt, plugging it with mud, and roasting it one or more times.