An'guksa
| Korean spelling | |
|---|---|
| Korean alphabet : | 안국사 |
| Hanja : | 安 國寺 |
| Revised Romanization : | Anguksa |
| McCune-Reischauer : | An'guksa |
The An'guksa is a Buddhist temple in North Korea near P'yŏngsŏng . It was founded in 503 by monk Hyŏnuk ( 법사 현욱 ). The name means "Temple of the Peaceful Land". Nothing has survived from the time the temple was founded. The temple complex now includes the main hall Taeungbojŏn (1785), the gate pavilion T'aep'yŏngnu, a residential wing for monks and a memorial pavilion, as well as a pagoda from the Koryŏ period and a 600-year-old ginkgo . In the North Korean society, in which religious freedom prevails according to the constitution , but in fact no space is granted for free religious practice, this temple has also lost its religious function and is only considered a monument. The temple is registered as National Treasure No. 34. It was used as a backdrop for several historical films. The temple is located in the P'yŏngan-namdo province on the southern slope of Mount Pongninsan.
Taeungbojŏn
The main hall Taeungbojŏn is one of the largest temple halls in Korea, along with the hall of the same name in the Pusapchusa (Beopjusa) temple and the Kakhwangjŏn (Gakhwangjeon) hall in the Hwaŏmsa (Hwaeomsa) temple (both in South Korea). The current building was rebuilt in 1785, but probably contains remains of the previous building. It is a wooden building on a rectangular floor plan six columns wide and five columns deep (17 × 13.2 m) and has a double-tiered roof (height: 13 m). This roof shape simulates a two-story structure, but the hall is actually one-story because there are no false ceilings inside. The upper step of the roof is designed as a hip roof and rests on ten 8 m high round pillars that stand freely in the interior and are not visible from the outside. The outer walls of the upper floor sit on transverse beams that are drawn in between these inner pillars and the pillars of the outer walls of the ground floor.
The lower roof step rests on ornate consoles , which, as a result of several renovations, show a mixed picture: At the front of the hall they have the shape of gently curved clouds or lotus buds , on the side walls and the back the more conventional shape of wide bulging ox tongues. On the upper roof step, the consoles are designed more simply. The original decorations are noteworthy: On the consoles at the two corners of the front there are dragons with human dragon leaders, inside between the consoles there are winged human figures.
The wings of the five doors are richly decorated with openwork flower carvings. All wooden parts inside and outside are colorfully painted: the columns are red, the beams, consoles and rafters as well as the coffered ceiling are multicolored.
Inside the hall there is a wide altar with three Buddha statues made of gilded wood. Vairochana is flanked by Sakyamuni and Amitabha . The altar is crowned by a very elaborate three-story canopy. The Buddhist hanging pictures behind the sculptures are more recent.
T'aep'yŏngnu
The gate pavilion T'aep'yŏngnu is an elongated, low structure of six by four columns (19.3 × 6.8 m) with a hip roof. Front wall and side walls are closed; the back wall to the inner courtyard is open. Through the middle part of the pavilion you enter the inner temple courtyard, to the left and right of the passage there are floors at seat height.
Above the passage hangs a plaque written by King Sunjo (r. 1800–1834) with the words T'aep'yŏngnu ("Hall of Peace").
More Attractions
To the right of the main hall is a small pavilion ( 주필 대 ), which was built to commemorate a stay of King Sŏnjo (r. 1567–1608). The king had fled to Ŭiju with his court during the Japanese invasion in 1592 and stopped at the temple on his return.
The nine-story pagoda from the second half of the Koryŏ period is decorated with lotus flowers. The previously missing ninth floor was recently added.
An inscription stone from 1774 with an inscription in Chinese (Hanmun) records the history of the temple.
In front of the temple is a ginkgo tree that is around 600 years old and 27 m high (natural monument no. 31), which today still bears 100 kg of fruit a year.
literature
- Chosŏn yujŏk yumul togam = The illustrated books of ruins and relics of Korea. P'yŏngyang. Vol. 16 (1994), p. 196 (Tempel); Vol. 11 (1992), p. 100 (Pagode). (In Korean. Language.)
- Chosŏn tae paekkwa sajŏn. P'yŏngyang. Vol. 26 (2001), p. 476 f. (In Korean. Language.)
- Chosŏn-ŭi chŏl annae = Guide for Korean temples. P'yŏngyang 2003. pp. 30-35. (In Korean. Language.)
Coordinates: 39 ° 18 ′ 4 ″ N , 125 ° 49 ′ 32 ″ E