Mireuksa Temple Site
Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, the largest temple site from the Baekje period
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Planning the visit
Mireuksa Temple Site is stop 6 of 7 on the Baekje Antiquity Route.
The stamp is not at the site itself but at the Tourist information center at the Mireuksa Temple Site, so check the opening hours of that building rather than the site.
The two closest stamp points are Archaeological Site in Wanggung-ri, 5.5 km away, and National Intangible Heritage Center at 25 km. All three fit into one day.
Details
- Address
- 32-9, Giyang-ri, Geumma-myeon, Iksan-si, Jeollabuk-do
- Stamp zone
- Tourist information center at the Mireuksa Temple Site
- Phone
- 063-859-3873
- Coordinates
- 36.01221, 127.03061
What the campaign says about it
Mireuksa Temple, located near the southern basin of Mireuksan Mountain, was built during the reign of King Mu, the 30th monarch (600~641 CE) of Baekje. The Temple, the largest-ever Buddhist temple built by Baekje, was built to leverage the power of Buddhism and protect the nation from an invasion by Silla. According to records found in Samguk Yusa, while the king and queen were on their way to Sajasa Temple, three Maitreya Buddha statues appeared in a large pond at Yonghwasan Mountain (Mireuksan Mountain). Upon seeing the statues, the queen wanted to build a temple, and thus, the king reclaimed the pond and built Mireuksa Temple. Temples built by Baekje typically consist of one pagoda and one Geumdang hall. However, Mireuksa Temple was unique with three pagodas and three Geumdang halls. This unique layout reflects the Baekje people's belief in Maitreya, in other words, the belief in that the future Buddha, Maitreya, will appear and save the world. Mireuksa Temple featured two stone pagodas and another wooden pagoda. The stone pagoda on the west wing of the Mireuksa Temple Site in Iksan, which is a national treasure, was restored to its current state after 20 years of careful repairs. Built in 639 CE (39th year of King Mu), the stone pagoda is the largest and oldest among stone pagodas that remain standing today. Experts believe the stone pagoda originally had nine stories or tiers. Unfortunately, the pagoda suffered extensive damage over the years, and now, only half of the original structure - roughly up to its sixth story - remains intact. The stone pagoda was dismantled, repaired, and then restored to its original state. During this process, archaeologists were able to confirm exactly when the pagoda was erected based on information from the pagoda’s reliquaries. The stone pagoda of Mireuksa Temple, which was restored by assembling stone blocks in various sizes, is a valuable resource that shows how pagodas transitioned from wooden pagodas to stone pagodas. The stone pagoda at Mireuksa Temple in Iksan is the largest stone pagoda in Korea and the earliest example of its kind with a clearly established date of construction. Originally, before it was damaged, the pagoda likely had nine stories. However, today, only parts of the stone pagoda up to its sixth story remain. Records also show that in 1915, the Japanese attempted to restore the pagoda by reinforcing the collapsed parts using concrete.
Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.
Getting there
Get off at the KTX Iksan station → Take bus no. 41 (regular bus) at the “Iksan station” bus stop → Get off at the tourist parking lot at Mireuksa Temple Site → Walk for 11 minutes
Photographs
Photographs supplied by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.