Bulguksa, Tohamsan

Quick facts

Address

385 Bulguk-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

About this place

Bulguksa stands on Tohamsan in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and is the head temple of the eleventh district of the Jogye Order. Kim Dae-seong is said to have founded it in 751 for the parents of his present life. The record says he founded Bulguksa for the parents of his present life and Seokbulsa for the parents of a former life, and that Seokbulsa is the present Seokguram. The three-storey stone pagoda and the Dabotap of Bulguksa were each designated National Treasures on 20 December 1962. Set into the stone terracing are the Cheongungyo and Baegungyo, the stairways that lead through the Jahamun gate to the main hall. In 1593, weapons hidden between the walls of the Jijangjeon to be used against the Japanese raiders were discovered, and for this the raiders set fire to Bulguksa. In 1995 it was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site together with Seokguram on Tohamsan.

Origin and history

Kim Dae-seong is said to have founded Bulguksa in 751 for the parents of his present life.

The record says he founded Bulguksa for the parents of his present life and Seokbulsa for the parents of a former life, and that Seokbulsa is the present Seokguram.

The three-storey stone pagoda and the Dabotap of Bulguksa were each designated National Treasures on 20 December 1962. Set into the stone terracing are the Cheongungyo and Baegungyo, the stairways that lead through the Jahamun gate to the main hall.

In 1593, weapons hidden between the walls of the Jijangjeon to be used against the Japanese raiders were discovered, and for this the raiders set fire to Bulguksa.

In 1995 it was designated a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site together with Seokguram on Tohamsan.

What it is locally associated with

• Origin

  Two sets of parents, two temples

  The record says Kim Dae-seong founded Bulguksa for the parents of his present life and Seokbulsa for the parents of a former life, and that Seokbulsa is the present Seokguram.

  documented history

• Power spot

  The stone pagoda and the Dabotap

  The three-storey stone pagoda and the Dabotap of Bulguksa were each designated National Treasures on 20 December 1962.

  documented history

• What people do here

  Weapons found in a wall

  In 1593, weapons hidden between the walls of the Jijangjeon to be used against the Japanese raiders were discovered, and for this the raiders set fire to Bulguksa.

  documented history

This temple and Seokguram are two buildings one man put up on the same mountain. The record says Kim Dae-seong founded Bulguksa for the parents of his present life and Seokbulsa for the parents of a former life, and that Seokbulsa is the present Seokguram. The parents of this life and the parents of a former one received one each, and in 1995 the two places were designated World Cultural Heritage together.

How the temple burned is on record too. It is not simply written that it burned in a war: in 1593 weapons hidden between the walls of the Jijangjeon to be used against the Japanese raiders were discovered, and the raiders set the fire for that. What came out of a wall was the reason.

Of what remains, the three-storey stone pagoda and the Dabotap were each designated National Treasures on 20 December 1962. Set into the stone terracing are the Cheongungyo and Baegungyo, which lead through the Jahamun gate to the main hall.

Related guides

• How to visit a Korean templeHands together and hands folded, how the bows work, and what to do at the threshold of a hall. Starting with what is different from visiting a Japanese shrine.
• The small hall behind the main one — sansingak and samseonggakUphill from the main hall of a Korean temple stands a smaller one, and inside it an old man with a tiger. This is where the indigenous religion sits, inside the Buddhist institution.
• Templestay — a night at a templeA programme that puts you inside a temple’s own timetable for a day or two. What you do, which type to book, and what to be ready for.
• Prayer sites and the one wishThe three great Gwaneum sites, the five relic halls, and the crowds before the entrance exam. Where the saying about one wish comes from, and where the record stops.

Sources

1. 경주 불국사(慶州 佛國寺) — 한국민족문화대백과사전 (accessed 2026-08-16)
2. 김대성(金大城) — 한국민족문화대백과사전 (accessed 2026-08-16)