Gameunsa Temple Site

Gamunsa Temple is a Unified Silla era temple located on the east coast, built by King Munmu of Silla after unifying the Three Kingdoms, to fend off Japanese pirate invasions with the help of Buddha's power. Before the temple was completed, King Munmu died. His son, King Sinmun, inherited his will and completed it in 682. Before his death, King Munmu bequeathed that upon his death, he wished to become a sea dragon to protect the nation, and thus requested to be cremated and buried in the East Sea. The place where King Munmu was buried is Dae-wang-am (King's Tomb Rock), and it is said that King Sinmun completed this temple and named it Gamunsa, meaning "Temple of Gratitude" for his father's grace. Currently, only the building foundations remain, including two three-story stone pagodas, the main hall (Geumdang), and the lecture hall (Gangdang). Along with Hwangnyongsa and Sacheonwangsa Temples, it was a guardian temple protecting the nation, but it is not known when the temple collapsed. The current appearance of the Gamunsa Temple Site in Gyeongju was exposed and restored according to the original building foundations based on data obtained from a comprehensive excavation survey conducted over two years starting in 1979. Furthermore, there are traces indicating that a symbolic space was created in the basement of the main hall, featuring a channel through which seawater from the East Sea would flow, allowing King Munmu, who became a sea dragon, to enter through this passage and rest. Additionally, the two towering three-story stone pagodas, symbols of the Gamunsa Temple Site, are early Unified Silla pagodas constructed by assembling dozens of parts. These pagodas are among the largest stone pagodas in Korea.