[Temple Adventures] Gyeongju's Mount Nam holds many treasures

Three-story stone pagoda in Yongjangsagok Valley / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

By Dale Quarrington

In total, Mount Nam is home to 122 temples and temple sites, 53 stone statues, 64 pagodas, 16 stone lanterns, 36 monuments, royal tombs and even a fortress. In fact, and alongside Bulguk Temple and Seokguram Hermitage in 1995, Mount Nam was included as part of the Gyeongju Historic Areas entry on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2000.

Geographically, Mount Nam can be subdivided into four sections that are home to some of its better-known treasures.

In the northwest corner, you'll find Samneung Valley. Making the long and sometimes steep hike up the Samneung Valley trail, you'll find half a dozen historical Buddhist artifacts. One of the more prominent features of the valley is the "Stone Seated Buddha in Samneunggye Valley." This Unified Silla-era (668-935) statue is perched atop a mountain plateau. And the image appears to be Seokgamoni-bul (Historical Buddha). Sometime in its long past, the statue was disfigured ― and then to make matters worse, it was put back together haphazardly using cement. Fortunately, around 2007, this past misdeed was rectified. And now, while not perfectly whole, it once again looks protectively down over the valley. Another interesting feature of the northwest part of Mount Nam, a 100-meter jaunt north of Sangseon Hermitage, is the "Large Seated Statue of Mireuk-bul." This seven-meter-tall image of the Buddha of the Future faces southwest with its serene features. While this Silla Dynasty (57 BCE ― 935 CE) masterpiece was once open to the public, the stairs are now closed and off-limits as part of a reclamation project by the Korea National Park Service. However, from the neighboring mountain peaks, you get an amazing view of both the statue and Gyeongju off in the distance.

Stone seated Buddha in Samneunggye Valley / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

The large seated statue of Mireukbul / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

To the northeast, you'll find a wonderful cluster of Buddhist treasures, such as Bori Temple. The main highlight to Bori Temple is the "Stone Seated Buddha in Mireukgok Valley." This beautifully preserved image of the Buddha, Seokgamoni-bul, dates back to Unified Silla. The statue of the Buddha sits atop a lotus flower pedestal, and combined, both the statue and the pedestal stand 4.36 meters in height. With its eyes half closed and a slight smile on its face, the statue is backed by a beautiful mandorla, covered with heavenly flowers and vines. On the backside of the mandorla, and almost completely faded, are the thin lines that outline the image of Yaksayeorae-bul (Medicine Buddha, and the Buddha of the Eastern Paradise). Overall, the statue is beautifully preserved.

Stone seated Buddha in Mireukgok Valley / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

Another interesting feature in the northeast portion of Mount Nam is the "Rock-Carved Buddhas in Tapgok Valley." This is a massive rock that stands nine meters in height, and it's covered in 34 reliefs of images such as pagodas, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, monks, and Bicheon (Flying Heavenly Deities). Each cardinal direction of the square rock is covered in these beautiful reliefs. The "Rock Carved Buddhas in Tapgok Valley" once belonged to Sinin Temple; but now, only the reliefs and the rock remain.

Rock-carved Buddhas in Tapgok Valley / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

Heading south, and having climbed the long valley that houses Chilbulam Hermitage, you'll find, rather remarkably, the only national treasure on Mount Nam. The "Rock-Carved Buddhas at Chilbulam Hermitage" are a two-part composition with a four-sided front stone that depicts Buddhas in the four cardinal directions. This is backed by a Buddhist triad that's carved directly on to the neighboring rock face. This Unified Silla masterpiece dates back to the 8th century.

Rock-carved Buddhas at Chilbulam Hermitage / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

And as if this site couldn't get any better, above the "Rock-Carved Buddhas at Chilbulam Hermitage" is the "Rock-Carved Bodhisattva at Sinseonam Hermitage." While once a bit precarious to access due to lack of railings, visitors can now adventure up to this location just 100 meters beyond Chilbul Hermitage. Finally arriving at the stone relief of the Bodhisattva, you'll find an image of Gwanseeum-bosal (Bodhisattva of Compassion) greeting you on a rather narrow ledge. This relief dates back to the late 8th century. Gwanseeum-bosal wears a large, ornate crown, and the robe flows loosely from its body. Looking at the image of this Bodhisattva with just the sky in the background, it almost feels like both you and it are floating.

The rock-carved Bodhisattva at Sinseonam Hermitage / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

And finally, in the southwest corner of Mount Nam, along the Yongjangsagok Valley and up a bit of a steep incline, you'll find a collection of three Korean Treasures. Of these three, it's the "Three-Story Stone Pagoda in Yongjangsagok Valley" that stands protectively like a sentinel. The mountain almost appears to be an extension of the three-story structure, almost as though the pagoda and the mountain are one. And the other interesting feature of this site and section of the mountain is the headless "Stone Seated Buddha in Yongjangsagok Valley." According to the Samguk Yusa, or "Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms" in English, the monk Taehyeon lived at Yongjang Temple. It was his regular practice to walk around a 16-foot-tall stone statue dedicated to Mireuk-bul in the courtyard of the temple. And the statue of Mireuk-bul would always turn its head to face Taehyeon. This is the very same image that the monk Taehyeon would circumambulate.

Stone seated Buddha in Yongjangsagok Valley / Courtesy of Dale Quarrington

So while often overlooked, Gyeongju's Mount Nam is one of those locations for people wanting to explore something a little different. Off the beaten path, you won't be disappointed with what you find on this holy mountain.

Dale Quarrington has visited over 500 temples throughout the Korean Peninsula and published three books on Korean Buddhism. He runs the popular website, "Dale's Korean Temple Adventures."