Boriam Temple菩提庵

Boriam is a subordinate temple of Baekyangsa Temple, the head temple of the 18th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, located on Chuwolsan Mountain. Also known as Borisa Temple, it was founded by National Preceptor Bojo Jinul (1158-1210) during the reign of King Sinjong of Goryeo. A legend states that while the monk was staying on Jirisan Mountain, he made three wooden falcons and sent them flying to find auspicious sites across the country. One landed on the site of Songgwangsa Temple in Suncheon, another on the site of Baekyangsa Temple in Jangseong, and the last one settled on the site of Boriam Temple on Chuwolsan Mountain, leading to the construction of the temple here. In the 40th year of King Seonjo's reign (1607), Monk Shinchan renovated it, and later, in the 1st year of King Hyojong's reign (1650), monks gathered their efforts to renovate it again. Boriam is one of the climbing courses on Chuwolsan Mountain, offering a 1.6 km, 1 hour 30 minute climb to the summit of Chuwolsan from here. The view from the front yard of Daeunjeon Hall is a breathtaking spectacle, where bizarrely shaped rock cliffs above and the cool, expansive Damyangho Lake below blend together to create a magnificent landscape. Immediately below Boriam is a famous site where Lady Heungyang Yi, wife of General Kim Deok-ryeong during the Joseon era, met her martyr's death. During the Imjin War, Lady Heungyang Yi, pursued by Japanese invaders, threw herself off this cliff and died a martyr. In the 6th year of King Hyeonjong's reign (1840), Jo Cheol-yeong, the deputy magistrate of Damyang, inscribed an epitaph commemorating Lady Heungyang Yi's martyrdom on a rock. It is approximately 1.9 km from the Damyangho Lake National Tourist Parking Lot to Boriam Temple.