Cheongnyongsa (Sangju)靑龍寺

Cheongnyongsa Temple is a small temple located on the mid-slope of Bibongsan Mountain in Gyeongsangbuk-do, belonging to the Korean Buddhist Beophwa Order. It is said to have been founded in 1674 (the 14th year of King Hyeonjong's reign), and records related to its reconstruction are preserved at the nearby Donamseowon Confucian Academy. The temple consists of the main hall, Geungnakjeon, along with Sansingak (Spirit King Shrine), Yosa (monks' quarters), and Jonggak (bell pavilion). Geungnakjeon is a hip-and-gable roof building measuring three bays in the front and two bays on the sides, and it lacks dancheong (traditional decorative painting). Inside, a wooden Bodhisattva statue is enshrined within an ornate palatial shrine on a two-story pavilion. The statue, presumed to have been created during the Japanese colonial period, wears a tall crown, holds a cintamani (wish-fulfilling jewel) in one hand, and sits on a lotus pedestal atop a gilt-lacquered lion statue. To the left of the wooden Bodhisattva statue, on the Buddhist altar, is a 40cm-tall seated Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue, said to be made of Gyeongju jade stone. Given its style, known as Pimojijang (Ksitigarbha wearing a hat) draped in celestial robes, it is believed that when it was originally created, it held a staff in one hand and a cintamani in the other. In front of Geungnakjeon, there is one stone pedestal with a diameter exceeding 130cm and one millstone of similar size. These artifacts suggest that Cheongnyongsa Temple served as a place of practice for many people a long time ago. 200 meters away, there is Cheongnyongsa Observatory, from which the Nakdonggang River can be viewed. Visitors can park at Hoesangnaru Tourist Complex, near the Nakdonggang Literary House, and it takes 1.5 km (approximately 1 hour round trip) to reach Cheongnyongsa Temple.