03 · Korean Temple Monasteries (Sansa) Route
Seonamsa Temple
Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon, a thousand-year-old temple with a rainbow
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Planning the visit
Seonamsa Temple is stop 3 of 9 on the Korean Temple Monasteries (Sansa) Route.
You will find the stamp at the Administrative office at Seonamsa Temple.
Admission is charged: Adults KRW 3,000 / Teenagers, Soldiers KRW 1,500 / Children KRW 1,000.
The nearest other stamp point is Songgwangsa Temple, 5.1 km away.
Details
- Address
- 450, Seonamsa-gil, Seungju-eup, Suncheon-si, Jeollanam-do
- Stamp zone
- Administrative office at Seonamsa Temple
- Admission
- Adults KRW 3,000 / Teenagers, Soldiers KRW 1,500 / Children KRW 1,000
- Phone
- 061-754-5247
- Website
- www.seonamsa.net
- Coordinates
- 34.99688, 127.33093
What the campaign says about it
Seonamsa Temple, which is believed to have been built during the Unified Silla period, was rebuilt multiple times over the course of its history, including by Daegakguksa Uicheon during the Goryeo Dynasty period. Seonamsa Temple, known for its blend of natural colors and beautiful surrounding landscape, is home to Seungseongyo Bridge, which, from some angles, looks like a massive rainbow. Seonamsa also has several other treasures, including Daejungjeon Hall known for its splendid decorations, the East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas made in the Silla style, and the only remaining Buddhist painting of the Thirty Three Patriarchs in Korea. Seungseongyo Bridge at Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon Once you pass the Stupa at Seonamsa Temple and enter the Temple itself, you have to cross a small stream. This Bridge was built when Seonamsa Temple, which had been destroyed by fire after the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1592 CE, was rebuilt. According to legend, in 1698 CE (24th year of King Sukjong), Buddhist monk Hoam Daesa was about to take his own life by jumping off a cliff when his prayers to meet the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara went unanswered. But then, a woman suddenly appeared and saved his life. Upon realizing this woman was the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, Hoam Daesa built Wontongjeon Hall as well as Seungseongyo Bridge near the Temple’s front gate. Daeungjeon Hall at Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon Daeungjeon Hall at Seonamsa Temple was destroyed by a fire during the Japanese invasion of Korea in 1597 CE, but was rebuilt in 1660 CE (1st year of King Hyeonjong). The Hall was burned down again in 1766 CE (42th year of King Yeongjo) and rebuilt in 1824 CE (24th year of King Sunjo) to its current iteration. Daeungjeon Hall, which enshrines the Sakyamuni Buddha, is the central hall of Seonamsa Temple. It follows the typical Dapo-type design, yet it also retains aspects from the late Joseon Dynasty period in terms of the more glamorous architectural style and decorations, which makes it important both academically and historically. Three-story Stone Pagodas in East and West of Seonamsa Temple in Suncheon When you enter the courtyard after passing Seungseongyo Bridge inside Seonamsa Temple, you will find a pair of Three-story Stone Pagodas standing off to either side of Daeungjeon Hall. Each Stone Pagoda has three stories built on top of a two-tiered foundation. These two Pagodas have solid and elegant proportions from top to bottom, and they retain the typical style used for stone pagodas from the Silla period. Buddhist painting of the Thirty Three Patriarchs Based on the “Jodangjip (祖堂集),” this painting depicts the 33 patriarchs in Buddhism from Mahakasyapa to Dajian Huineng of China in eleven panels. It is the only Buddhist painting of the Thirty Three Patriarchs left in Korea. Although the painting originally had eleven panels, only seven panels remain today. Nevertheless, the Buddhist painting of the Thirty Three Patriarchs at Seonamsa Temple is a rare artifact that showcases the iconography and the elegant brush strokes of Buddhist paintings.
Quoted from the Visit Korean Heritage Campaign.
Getting there
Get off at the KTX Suncheon station → Take bus no. 1 (to Haeryongdaean. Seonamsa) at Suncheon station bus stop → Get off at Seonamsa Temple bus stop → Walk for 6 minutes
Photographs
Photographs supplied by the Korea Cultural Heritage Foundation.