Boriam Hermitage菩提庵

In 683 AD, after Great Master Wonhyo built a hermitage here and, while practicing asceticism, personally encountered Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, he named the mountain Bogwangsan and the hermitage Bogwangsa. Later, it is said that Yi Seong-gye performed a hundred-day prayer here and founded the Joseon Dynasty. In gratitude, King Hyeonjong designated this temple as a royal ancestral temple in 1660 and changed the mountain's name to Geumsan and the temple's name to Boriam. Boriam, situated atop Geumsan, is a beautiful temple offering panoramic views of Geumsan's myriad strange rocks and the emerald-blue South Sea. Within the temple grounds, the Jwaseondae rock, where Great Master Wonhyo is said to have meditated, draws attention, and the nearby rock cave called Ssanhongmun is known as the finest among Geumsan's 38 scenic spots. Along with Hongyeonam at Naksansa Temple in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province, and Bomunsa Temple on Ganghwado Island, Gyeonggi Province, it is one of Korea's three great prayer sites, drawing a continuous stream of devotees daily. Geumsan, with its outstanding scenery, often called the "Diamond Mountain of the South Sea," and numerous animal-shaped rocks, is also known as the "Rock Zoo." At the summit of Geumsan, a mountain where one can overlook the harmony of the indigo sea and green fields and fully appreciate the beauty of Hallyeohaesang National Park, stands Boriam, founded by Great Master Wonhyo and the most famous of Korea's three great prayer sites. Furthermore, Geumsan holds legends related to Buddhism in each of its rocks, and Boriam is surrounded by oddly shaped rocks such as Daejangbong, Hyeongniam, Hwaeombong, Ilwolbong, and Samburam. The trail from Sangju Village's Geumsan entrance up to Boriam is an excellent hiking course, where dense forests harmonize with the South Sea. If you stay overnight and witness the sunrise from Geumsan, you'll find the sunrise so magnificent that you can't help but feel the harmony of heaven and earth. By car, a road leads past Aenggang Pass, through Beoksigol in I-dongmyeon, past Bokgok Reservoir, and up to the 80% mark of Geumsan's ridge.