Gyeongju Heungryunsa Temple Site

Gyeongju, located about an hour's drive north from Busan, was the capital of the Silla dynasty that lasted for a thousand years and is home to many Buddhist ruins. On the road to the Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal you will find Heungryunsa Temple, which is believed to be the first Buddhist temple of the Silla dynasty.

Heungryunsa Temple is located north of Orung, where five tombs are gathered tombs of kings from the founding period of Silla, including the founder of Silla, Park Hyeokgeose. Following the martyrdom of Silla aristocrat Ichadong, Silla finally officially recognized Buddhism in 5, and is said to be the first temple in Silla to have been founded in 527 (the 544th year of King Jinheung's reign).

At that time, Heungrinsa Temple was a place where events such as "Bukhoe," in which Silla people would circle the pagoda while chanting Buddhist prayers in the evening, and Silla royal events were held. Today, only a part of the earthen platform believed to be the site of the main hall remains, and Heungrinsa Temple, which was newly built in front of the temple site in the 1980s, quietly welcomes believers.

The main relics excavated from here include a round roof tile with a human face design called the "Smile of Silla" that has become a symbol of Gyeongju (you can often see smiling faces on the walls of buildings while walking around the ancient city of Gyeongju) and the Heungryunsa Stone Tank, which is said to be the largest surviving stone tank from Silla.Gyeongju National MuseumIt is on display in the garden.

Additionally, a tile fragment with the inscription "Yeongmyosa" was excavated here, suggesting that this may be the site of Yeongmyosa Temple, which was built during the reign of Queen Seondeok.