August 2017 - In part 3 of our World Heritage Series, Asia Society Korea visited the Gyeongju Historic Areas, an area often labelled as “the world’s largest museum without walls.” This month, we return to the Gyeongju region to preview Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, another world heritage site comprising two religious monuments rich in Far Eastern Buddhist art.

Despite its cultural importance to Korea, Bulguksa was never intended to be a major temple when it was constructed by King Beopheung in 528. However, the original wooden structure was transformed and expanded in 751 by Prime Minister Kim Daeseong who, legend has it, personally designed the temple and dedicated it to the memory of his ancestors. The temple was completed in 774 by the Silla royal court and given the name Bulguksa ("Temple of the Buddha Land"). The temple was renovated during the Goryeo Dynasty and the early Joseon Dynasty before it was burned to the ground during the Imjin War. Between 1604 and 1973, Bulguksa underwent various renovations and expansions involving extensive archeological investigations, most notably during the heritage practices of President Park Chung-Hee’s era. The temple, along with Seokguram Grotto, was added to the World Heritage List in 1995, making it Korea’s oldest UNESCO site.

Although Seokguram Grotto is located four kilometers from Bulguksa temple, it is still part of the same complex and was also constructed between 742 and 774 under the order of Kim Daeseong. The grotto overlooks the East Sea and, as the only fully intact structure from the Silla era, the cave contains some of the most important Buddhist sculptures in the world. Due to the location and the abandonment of the cave for many centuries, a restoration program was started during the Japanese occupation and completed in the 1960’s using modern technology to help control the problem of humidity and mold that placed the structure under threat. Once inside the grotto, one can see Buddha surrounded by Bodhisattvas, the Ten Disciples, Eight Divine Guardians, two Devas, and two Vajrapanis making the white granite statues a masterpiece of East Asian Buddhist Art.

Both Bulguksa and Seokguram represent the highly developed architectural skills of the Silla dynasty and form a religious architectural complex of exceptional significance in North-East Asia.