Seoul - Day 3 Bongeunsa Buddhist Temple

Seoul Bongeunsa Buddhist temple is one of several Buddhist temples located within Seoul. However, unlike Bongwonsa Buddhist temple , Bongeunsa is set amongst skyscrapers and the busy, modern metropolis. It is located across from the COEX trade and exhibition center. The sprawling  complex is a major temple of Korea’s Jogye Buddhist Order, a seon or zen sect. Most of the temple complex was destroyed in a 1939 fire and during the Korean War.

Walking through the Seoul Bongeunsa Buddhist temple‘s main gates, you’re greeted by four large wooden sculptures representing the Heavenly Kings. The deities guard the four cardinal directions and the Dharma. Documents and relics were retrieved from inside the statues, which described their production in 1746.

The architecture of Seoul Bongeunsa Buddhist temple is similar to other Korean Buddhist temples. Red and green base paint is decorated with colorful and ornate painted flowers, mythical beasts and patterns. Most of the buildings were built in the modern era, but a precious few survived centuries of fire and war. Among them, Panjeon Hall is the oldest. Completed in 1856, it holds 3,175 woodblock carvings of the Flower Garland Sutra.