Sunday May 3, 2009
Gyeongju, Korea
Another Glorious Sunny Day
Hotel: Hilton Gyeongju
I woke up early as I had a long day ahead of me because I was exploring Gyeongju. Gyeongju holds more tombs, temples, rock carvings, ruins, and gardens that any other place in South Korea. Why? It was the capital of the Shilla dynasty, one of the most powerful and culturally rich dynasties in the history of the world. It is the Shilla dynasty that united Korea by conquering the 2 other dynasties that were part of Korea. In 57 BC, when Julius Caesar was still alive, Gyeongju became the capital of Shilla and remained so for over 1000 years. The city's population peaked at about 1 million people during the heyday (today its about 200,000). It was a very rich kingdom where amethyst, jade and gold were abundant. The most famous king is King Munmu who united the country in the 7th century. It is also home to the largest Tumuli which are grass-covered burial mounds. They are all over the city. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site so is getting the respect and publicity it deserves. The whole city is quaint and beautiful. The streets are lined with a white flowering tree that nobody knew the English name of and the small town is surrounded with fields and farms. Wild wisteria dot the green mountains with purple.
Instead of exploring it on my own, I decided to hire a English speaking guide and driver to take me around so that I get to experience the town in depth. Song was my guide and I was very fortunate to get her as she was a walking history book! My driver could not speak English but he too was very friendly and showed us spots that even Song did not know about as he and his ancestors have lived in Gyeongju.
View from my hotel room around 530am morning. My hotel was located in the Bomunho Resort which was built when South Korea was hosting the World Cup Soccer games. Hotel was nice but it reminded me of Orlando.
I don't know what I was thinking but after Samcheok, thought the area would be isolated and quiet. Well, breakfast was a warning. At 7am it was packed with people shoving, pushing their way to get to the buffet.
This was my breakfast. Rice with kimchee, tofu, veggie dumplings, pickled spinach, bean curry and seaweed soup. I did not go for the Western food which everyone else was eating. There were only a handful of Westerners in the hotel. Majority were Koreans and Japanese.
The first stop of my tour was to Bulguksa which is the crowning glory of Shilla Buddhist Temple architecture. During the Japanese invasion of 1596, most of the temple was destroyed because weapons were found in the buildings. Monks in Korea were also warriors during that time. Protecting the country came first for the monks. This is how the monks were able to get the King to support Buddhism. So the Japanese destroyed many of the building and executed all the monks. Somehow, some of the key monuments survived.
The entrance to Bulguksa. Paper lanterns were everywhere because it was Buddha's birthday. People hang the lanterns with their wishes.
The East, West, North, South Deity's that protect the compound. They are exactly the same as what I saw in Bhutan. Korea practices Zen Buddhism. So now that I know the North, South Deities made it to Korea I wonder why they don't exist in Japan?
The National Treasure , the "Bridges". It miraculously survived the Japanese invasion. They are actually stairways to the main hall. The consist of 33 steps, representing 33 stages to enlightenment. The main hall was surrounded by water during the Shilla days. Bulguksa means Buddha's Land. With water surrounding the main hall, it looked like Buddha's Land rising from the water. Must have been beautiful.
The big paper lanterns are wishes from important people and politicians. The whole compound was covered with hanging paper lanterns!
The original water fountain that also survived.
There are four key instruments that are played during prayer time. The dragon fish is banged from inside for prayers to fish. The Gong is for creatures in the air. The Drum for animals on earth including us and the Bell for those in Hell as Buddhists believe in the Wheel of Life so even those in hell can be saved. (You will see the bell in anothe
r photo, could not get a good photo of it in Bulguksa cuz there was so many people surrounding it!)
Two other national treasures survived. They are the stupas or pagodas. The first Dabotap is of plain design and is pictured here. The second is Seokgatap and is much more ornate and unique to Korea. It was under restoration but I got a pic of a replica of it at the museum.
The Great Buddha in the main hall. The paintings, colors, etc were very similar to what I saw in Bhutan but very different that Zen Buddhism in Japan.
The Bohdhissitva of compassion and wisdom surrounded by 100s of golden tiny Buddhas.
I could not take many pictures inside as it was not allowed. But took plenty of the compound.
I've never seen Buddha is this position. According to Song, its common in Korea and symbolizes Korea. The fist is Buddha and the index finger is mankind. Therefore, we are ONE.
Children making wishing stones on the compound.
The compound is surrounded by lush forest. Must be gorgeous in the fall. I appreciated it but there was just too many people!
The white lantern are for the dead.
A monk saying prayers for the dead.
Apparently, just before the Year of the Pig, a painting of a pig appeared on the wall. To commemorate a statue was built. Rubbing the pig is supposed to bring good luck.
Here I am on the compound surrounded by lanterns!
The surrounding area is lush and wild. There are many hiking trails.
Our next stop was the Seokguram Grotto. It was supposed to be a 15 minute drive but ended up taking over one hour because half of Korea was in town as it was a long holiday weekend. Both the Bulguksa and the Seokguram Grotto were build because of Kim DaeSong in the 700s. He built it for his present parents and mother from the past life. His past life was difficult. He and his widowed mother were very poor but after meeting a monk who was asking for donations, he decided to
give everything he had to the temple so his mother can have a better next life. After he gave everything, he died. A rich woman became pregnant shortly afterwards and gave birth to a boy who had one fist clenched. After a few months he opened it and on his fist was inscribed his name Kim DaeSong. He was reincarnated and became a generous and an important man(Prime Minister) during the Shilla period.
The Seokguram Grotto is breathtaking site (even with 1000s of people pushing and shoving to see it). It is located 740m above sea level and in it sits an image of Sakyamuni Buddha surrounded by over 3 dozen guardians and deities. It is made of granite and statues are very life like. How they lugged the stones and did such advanced sculpting in the 700s is a mystery. The Buddha faces the East Sea and is said to protect Korea. The Japanese did not destroy it during the invasion and it survived WWII and also the Korean War. Its a very special place.
The entrance to the grotto. We heard the bell ringing so came at a perfect time.
The Line to get in. Fortunately, because I was with Song the private guide, we had a special entrance so did not have to wait in line.
People from all over visit the place and make a donation. They write their wishes on a tile.
View from outside the grotto.
The Sakyamuni Buddha. We could not go in to see the guardians as it protected by glass. But it gorgeous and very well preserved. So hard to believe it was built in the 700s. Its a magical place.
The stones that were left behind 1300 years ago.
Our next destination was the beach! Actually, we were going to see the Sea Tomb of King Munmu. King Munmo is the most famous king as he united Korea. He had made it known that when he died he wanted to be cremated and his ashes buried at sea close to Gameunsa which is an ancient Shilla temple. Today all that remains of the temple are the foundation stones and 2 of the pagodas. A huge bell, 4 times larger than the Emille Bell which is one of the largest bells in Asia resided there. It was stolen by the Japanese during the 1592 invasion and lost at sea. It has yet to be found.
Anyhow, he wanted to be buried at sea so that his spirit would become a dragon and protect the eastern shores of the Shilla Kingdom from Japanese pirates. His wishes were carried out by his son. So supposedly on the rock visible in the pool at the center of the islets is the cover for King Munmu's ashes. No one has ever investigated it. But what's interesting is that it is a haven for seagulls.
Ladies were selling seaweed and dried fish by the beach. The beach was so-so, I would not go swimming there but the dried fish was excellent. Song, the car driver and I bought some for a snack.
King Munmu's Tomb. The world's only underwater tomb. Its protected by the seagulls.
Our next destination was the Folk Village where I was to get a demonstration of how Shilla pottery is made. Shilla pottery is very unique and quite beautiful. Korea is very well known for pottery as they were great friends with China in the old days. The most famous is the Celadon from the Goryeo Kingdom which is one of the word's best china. However, the Shilla pottery is unique albeit not as fine.
On the way to the village, we stopped to take a photo of the wild wisteria growing in the mountains. They are gorgeous and smell heavenly.
Apparently, he is one of the few left who know how to make Shilla pottery. He made a vase in less that 10 minutes! The clay is like rubber. He allowed me to touch it. Very weird. Its local clay. It is not glazed. After shaping, its dried for 10 days then baked at 1300C for 4 days and then cooled. Pine wood is used for firing and the ashes add color to the pottery. Sometimes they add more air or adjust the temperature to change the color. I bought a canister with a traditional design. I will treasure it as I have never seen anything like it elsewhere.
It was then time for lunch, albeit a late lunch. We went to a local place where the driver had bibimbap, Song had cold buckwheat noodles and rice in a seaweed broth and I had buckwheat noodles in a spicy broth. Very good and SPICY!
The driver's Bibimbap and appetizers for us to share.
Song's buckwheat noodles and rice in a cold seaweed broth
My buckwheat noodles with veggies in a cold spicy kimchi broth.
After lunch we were off to our next stop which is Central Gyeongju to visit Tumuli Park and Cheomseongdae. The whole town of Gyeongju is surrounded with Tumuli ( grass covered burial grounds/tombs). The bigger the mound the more important the person is. Even today, grass mounds are "graves" for Koreans. Cremation is frowned upon but given land is getting scarce, its becoming more popular. All through Korea you will see Tumuli's. Until the 70s, the villagers of Gyeongju lived around the Tumuli's. However, the dictator Park Chung-hee decided to preseve the area and paid the villagers to move and built a gorgeous park so that all Koreans and the international community can learn and appreciate what the great Shilla dynasty has done.
These trees are everywhere in Gyeongju. No one knows the proper English name but in Korean its "rice flower tree". They are gorgeous!
Tumuli Park. One of the tombs. They are HUGE!! Out of respect,no one and I mean no one climbs them
View of the roofs of the village homes from the park.
Another huge tomb. They are so many of these all over Gyeongju. We were able to go into one where we saw a display of the jewels. Solid gold belts, jewelry, crowns decorated with carved jade in shape of the embryo the sign of life. No photos were allowed so couldn't take a pic!
After visitng the Tumulus we then went to go see the Cheomseongdae which was erected in the mid 600s. Its the oldest astrological observatory in Asia. It looks simple but actually the design is very sophisticated. The 12 stones of its base symbolize the months of the year. From top to bottom there are 30 layers – one for each day of the month. The window is the entrance. One entered via a ladder. The observatory was filled with dirt up to the entrance. From there another ladder took one to the top where astrologers studied the stars. Why not build this on top of a mountain? According to Song, in those days there was no pollution so the skies were clear and the location is close to the palace so they could report quickly to the King.
The Cheomseongdae
Our final destination was the Gyeongju National Museum which is one of Korea's finest. Admission was free because the govt was celebrating the 60th year since it was formed after WWII. Korea has had a very tough and sad modern history which I will blog about later. Because admission was free it was packed and I do not like going to museums when its packed! Anyhow, I toughed it out and saw the Emille Bell. Legend has
it that it could ring by throwing the artisan's beloved
little daughter into the melted bronze as a sacrifice
after numerous repeated failures. From then on, the
bell has sounded like a baby crying for its mother,
and that's why it's called the Emille bell – Emille meaning mother. The
Emille is 10 feet
high and 7 and a half feet in diameter. Now the largest in the
world is the 20 foot Moscow bell, but the Emille bell
is one thousand years older, more beautiful and infinitely
more graceful. The strong solemn tone reputedly can
be heard as far as 40 miles on a clear crisp night. Sadly, to preserve it, it is no longer rung.
The Emille Bell. Its a scientific wonder and proof how advanced the Shilla dynasty was.
The Museum
A Replica of Seokgatap pagoda of Bulguksa that was under restoration so I could not see it. It's a Korean style stupa.
The smiling face of Gyeongju. Just beautiful. Its the Mona Lisa of the Shilla Dynasty.
Apparently this is in the Seokguram Grotto and depicts the story how Buddhism was adopted.
Legend says that Yi Chadon (or Ichadon) was the king's Grand Secretary.
The king desired the adoption of Buddhism, but his efforts were
constantly frustrated by the nobles of Silla, who resisted the new
religion. Yi Chadon shared the king's goal and was personally devout,
so he suggested a plan to the king in a secret memorial. He asked the
king to use his Royal Seal to order the adoption of Buddhism and let
the nobles make their arguments. The king would then falsely announce
that no such order had been given, demanding who had forged the Royal
Seal. Yi Chadon promised that he would step forward and claim it was
he. The nobles would demand he be executed. Yi Chadon promised that
during the execution, there would be a miracle, and all the court would
believe.
The King was pleased with the plan and also touched by Yi Chadon's
willingness to die for a just cause. He agreed to Yi Chadon's proposal
and everything went through as planned. The king assembled Yi Chadon
and the nobles for an audience and demanded who had "falsified" the
royal seal. Yi Chadon stepped forward and "admitted" that it was he.
The angry nobles, incensed at having Buddhism tricked upon them,
demanded his execution. The king agreed.
Yi Chadon then turned to face them and swore an oath. "Though I shall
die," he said, "my death will prove the truth of the faith." Then the
sword fell and chopped off his head.
Immediately, there was a great surprise. Milk gushed from the wound
instead of blood, spouting hundreds of feet into the air. The sun
darkened and the earth quaked. Flowers rained from heaven and the head
flew hundreds of miles to Diamond Mountain (in what is now North
Korea). The shocked nobles immediately repented and Buddhism became the
state religion. Yi Chadon's corpse was given a proper burial on Diamond
Mountain.
After a long day, it was time to go back to the hotel. I had a wonderful time thanks to Song. There is so much to learn about Korea especially the influence of Shilla. I had no idea about the contributions the Shilla Kingdom made to not only Korea but the rest of the world. There is still so much to learn! One day is not enough to learn about this historical period. I hope I have an opportunity to come back to Gyeongju (albeit when its not so crowded) and take my time learning about the history with the locals.
Sunset over Gyeongju