KOREAN TEMPLE ADVENTURES Hidden layers of Seonam Temple
The Seungseon Bridge of Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
As a writer, you’re taught to avoid the usage of cliches in your writing. Cliches like the peeling back of an onion. Or the cliche about the unfolding of a rose. In either case, it would be much easier to simply state that it’s all a process of discovery. And yet, a temple like Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, almost forces you to resort to cliches about onions and roses. There are just so many hidden layers to discover and uncover in and among the grounds at Seonam Temple.
Seonam Temple is located on the western slopes of Jogyesan Provincial Park. And in the eastern part of the park is yet another famous Korean Buddhist temple: Songgwang Temple.
There are two competing foundation stories as to when Seonam Temple was first constructed. According to one theory, the monk Ado-hwasang first built Biro Hermitage in 529. Another story relates how Doseon-guksa (826-98) built a temple in 875 and named it Seonam Temple.
Later, and in the early part of the 918-1392 Goryeo Dynasty, Uicheon-guksa (1055-1101) rebuilt the temple much larger in size. The temple was completely destroyed by fire in 1597 during the 1592-98 Imjin War. Later, it was rebuilt over an eight-year period. The temple would be expanded in 1698, when the Wontong-jeon Hall was built. And in 1707, arguably the most recognizable feature of the temple, the Seungseon-gyo Bridge was built.
The Wontong-jeon Hall of Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
Once more, a large fire destroyed a number of buildings at the temple in 1759. As a result, a fifth reconstruction took place. Yet another fire broke out in 1823 that required another reconstruction. This rebuild included the construction of the Daeung-jeon Hall, the Myeongbu-jeon Hall and other shrine halls at the temple.
More recently, the temple was partially damaged during the Yeosu-Suncheon Rebellion of October to November 1948. The temple was further damaged during the 1950-53 Korean War. Regrettably, some of the temple grounds were sold during the land reforms of 1952. But since 1992, a large-scale initiative has taken place to return Seonam Temple to its original 11th-century form.
Rather interestingly, Seonam Temple belongs to the second-largest Buddhist order in Korea, the Taego-jong Order, which allows its monks to marry. Taego-jong consists of some 3,100 temples that are mostly modern, but Seonam Temple is one of the more prominent historic temples that still belongs to this Buddhist order.
In total, Seonam Temple is home to 14 Korean Treasures, one Historic Site, one Scenic Site and one Natural Monument. And alongside six other mountain temples, or “sansa” in Korean, Seonam Temple is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
You’ll approach Seonam Temple up a kilometer-long stretch of dirt road. Halfway to the temple, you’ll come to a green tea center. The entire way, and as you near the main temple grounds, you’ll be beautifully accompanied by the flowing sounds of Seonam Stream.
The first sign that you're nearing the main temple grounds is when you come across the Seungseon Bridge. This semicircular stone bridge consists of a large arch with its foundation rooted in natural rock. Seonamsa Stream flows under it. And when it has just rained, the rolling rapids can get quite large. Additionally, the stone bridge beautifully frames the Gangseollu Pavilion off in the distance. The bridge is made of long stones set side by side. While it appears quite delicate because of this design, it's believed to have been standing since 1713.
The Seungseon Bridge of Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
At the center of its underarch is a dragon head, which is meant to ward off evil spirits attempting to enter the temple grounds through the stream. It's said that if someone were to remove the dragon's head, the entire bridge would collapse.
Legend also states that the monk Hoam tried to throw himself from a cliff after failing to see Gwanseeum-bosal (Bodhisattva of Compassion), even though he had prayed to her for 100 days. At the last moment, a woman appeared and saved the monk from his fall. Hoam believed this to be an incarnation of Gwanseeum-bosal, so he built the temple's Wontong-jeon Hall and the beautiful rainbow-shaped Seungseon-gyo Bridge.
At Seonam Temple, there are really six distinct areas that visitors can explore. However, because there is so much that one can see, and getting back to the cliche of the onion and the rose, you might simply miss a lot that it has to offer.
Seonam Temple's Ilju Gate in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
The Image of Gwanseeum-bosal inside the Wontong-jeon Hall at Seonam Temple in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
Having passed through the Ilju Gate and under the Beomjong-gak Hall, you'll be ushered into the courtyard that houses the Daeung-jeon Hall and the "East and West Three-Story Stone Pagodas of Seonamsa Temple," both of which are Korean Treasures. Behind this courtyard, there's an upper courtyard that houses three additional shrine halls.
And to the rear of these three shrine halls are three additional shrine halls that include the Wontong-jeon Hall that houses the image of Gwanseeum-bosal. This stunning, golden image of Gwanseeum-bosal is surrounded on the main altar by wooden reliefs of red peonies.
And to the rear of these six shrine halls, you'll find a courtyard bookended by monks' dorms. In the center of these two structures is the Eungjin-jeon Hall. This shrine hall is filled with statues and paintings of the Nahan (The Historical Disciples of the Buddha). And to the rear of this shrine hall is a diminutive shrine hall dedicated to "sanshin" (mountain spirits). Joining this shaman deity is a wild-eyed tiger that always acts as sanshin’s assistant.
The Daeung-jeon Hall and the East and West Three-Story Stone Pagodas of Seonamsa Temple / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
To the rear of this courtyard are two stupas, the “North Stupa of Seonamsa Temple” and the “East Stupa of Seonamsa Temple,” both of which are Korean Treasures. And it’s to the right of these stupas that you’ll find yet another courtyard that houses the Gakhwang-jeon Hall. Both this courtyard and shrine hall are smaller in size, so they might go unnoticed, just like the temple courtyard to the southwest of the Daeung-jeon Hall that houses the hidden Samseong-gak Hall and the Muryang-jeon Hall.
Inside the Daeung-jeon Hall / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington
There’s a lot to see and unpack at Seonam Temple just like the proverbial onion or rose that I can’t seem to get away from in this article. You peel back a layer, and there’s another one waiting for you. Just make sure that when you do peel back another layer of that onion, you don’t miss out on all the splendid tranquility that Seonam Temple has to offer.
Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published four books on Korean Buddhism. He runs the website Dale's Korean Temple Adventures.