Meeting Buddha on Namsan the Sacred Land of Silla | Travel Course | Staypick

경주 남산 동쪽 기슭 부처 골짜기의 한 바위에 깊이가 1m나 되는 석굴을 파고 만든 여래좌상이다. 불상의 머리는 두건을 덮어쓴 것 같은데 이것은 귀 부분까지 덮고 있다. 얼굴은 둥그렇고 약간 숙여져 있으며, 부은 듯한 눈과 깊게 파인 입가에서는 내면의 미소가 번지고 있다. 이런 점에서는 인왕리 석불좌상과 유사하지만 전체적으로 자세가 아름답고 여성적이다.

이 일대는 통일신라시대에 신인사라는 절이 있었던 곳이다. 남쪽의 큰 바위에는 목조건물의 흔적이 남아 있으며, 석탑 조각들이 흩어져 있는 것으로 보아 남쪽면의 불상을 주존으로 하여 남향 사찰을 경영했었음을 알 수 있다. 9m나 되는 사각형의 커다란 바위에 여러 불상을 회화적으로 묘사하였다.

This is a seated stone Buddha statue with a total height of 4.36m and a statue height of 2.44m, located at the presumed site of Borisa Temple from the Silla period. It is the most perfectly preserved stone Buddha of the Silla period currently in Namsan, Gyeongju. The statue has small snail-shaped curls on its head, with a high topknot (yukgye) rising above, and a round face that carries a gentle, inner smile. The robe draping both shoulders appears limp, and parallel folds are engraved here and there. The hand gesture shows the right hand resting on the knee with fingertips pointing down, and the left hand placed on the abdomen in the gesture of subduing evil (hangmachokjiin), though the hands look somewhat delicate. The separately prepared halo (gwangbae) is highly decorative, with small Buddhas and ornate peony and vine patterns engraved inside. Notably, on the back of the halo, a thin line engraving of Yaksa Yeorae Bul, who is said to cure all diseases, is present; this style is a rare example found only at Milyang Muboongsa and Gwangbae in Kyungpook National University. (Source: Cultural Heritage Administration)

This tomb is the burial site of King Heongang, the 49th monarch of Silla (reigned 875–886). He was the eldest son of King Gyeongmun and succeeded the throne. King Heongang showed great interest in Buddhism and national studies, promoting literary governance. During his reign, there were good harvests every year, resulting in a peaceful and prosperous era, with singing heard in every street and even the Japanese king offering gold. After King Heongang's death, he was buried southeast of Borisa Temple. The tomb is located on the northeast slopes of Namsan in Gyeongju. It is a round-shaped earthen mound tomb, 4.2 meters high and 15.3 meters in diameter, with four layers of stones stacked around the base for protection. In 1993, excavation confirmed the internal structure of the stone chamber, which has a passage to the southeast and the chamber placed to the west. The entrance has a stone door, threshold, and blocking stones, with a coffin placed against the western wall.

Tongiljeon is a national hall that inherits the spirit of the unification of the Three Kingdoms and prays for the upcoming reunification of North and South Korea. Inside, portraits of King Taejong Muyeol, King Munmu, and General Kim Yu-shin are enshrined, and historical paintings vividly depicting fierce battles for unification are displayed along a long corridor. Built to honor the spirits of patriotic martyrs, Tongiljeon is also used as an ideological education center for elementary and middle school students and has become an essential course on school trips. The depictions of battles during the unification of the Three Kingdoms in multiple frames are impressive, and it is good to briefly pay respects to the patriotic martyrs during the visit to Namsan and rest on the large lawn.

This dates back to when Silla's 21st king, Soji-wang, set out on a journey on the 15th day of the first lunar month in 488 CE. A crow and a rat appeared and the rat said, “Watch where this crow goes.” The king sent a general to follow it. When they reached a pond near Yangpichon in the southeastern mountains, the general lost sight of the crow. Suddenly, an old man in grass clothes appeared at the center of the pond holding an envelope. “Please deliver this message to the king,” he said, then vanished underwater. The king received the envelope, which read, "If opened, two people will die; if not opened, one person will die." A courtier advised, “Two are commoners, one is the king; perhaps you should open it.” The king followed the advice and opened the envelope. It said “Shooting the geomungo box.” At the palace, he shot an arrow toward a geomungo box in the queen's chamber. Inside, a monk who took care of royal rituals was found dead. The monk had conspired with the queen to harm Soji-wang. The queen was promptly executed, and thanks to the envelope from the old man, the king escaped death. This pond is called Seochulji because the envelope with writing was found there. The 10th year of Soji-wang's reign was 40 years before Buddhism was officially recognized in Silla. During King Nulji's era, a monk named Mokho came to spread Buddhism but failed, as did Monk Ado during Soji-wang's time. Only in the 15th year of King Beopheung, through martyrdom of Ichadon, was Buddhism officially accepted in Silla. At that time, Silla aristocrats strongly adhered to folk beliefs, especially ancestor worship, and did not easily embrace Buddhism. The legend of Seochulji reflects a facet of conflict arising as traditional folk beliefs clashed with the introduction of new Buddhist culture.

가파른 산비탈을 평지로 만들기 위해서 동쪽과 북쪽으로 높이 4m 가량되는 돌축대를 쌓아 불단을 만들고 이 위에 사방불 (四方佛)을 모셨으며, 1.74m의 간격을 두고 뒤쪽의 병풍바위에는 삼존불(三尊佛)을 새겼다. 삼존불은 중앙에 여래좌상을 두고 좌우에는 협시보살입상을 배치하였다.

Gyeongju Namsan can be called a treasure trove of artifacts and relics, where you can find Buddhist statues from the Three Kingdoms period to the late Unified Silla period. Among them, the 1.4m high rock-carved Bodhisattva Ban-gasang is engraved on the southern rock directly above Chilbulam. It appears as if sitting on a cloud and wears a three-faced crown, indicating it is a Bodhisattva statue. The face is full, with eyes gently closed as if deep in thought, seemingly watching over sentient beings from the cloud world. The right hand holds a flower, while the left hand is raised to the chest in a preaching gesture. The celestial robe is very thin, realistically revealing the body contours, and the garment's hems cover the pedestal and hang long. The halo, including both head and body halos, is used as the space where the statue sits, making the Bodhisattva statue more prominent. This work is believed to be from the late 8th century of the Unified Silla period.