Gatbawi

Temple · Korea

Seated Stone Buddha at Gwanbong · Seonbonsa

Researched and translated with AI assistance. Every claim is linked to its source, but errors get through, so check the official site for opening times, fees and closures.About

In short

A Unified Silla stone Buddha seated on the summit of Gwanbong on Palgongsan, and the busiest prayer site in the country in the weeks before the university entrance exam.

The seated stone Buddha on the summit of Gwanbong, a broad flat slab resting on its head. — Barnkim / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

Quick facts

Address: 176-64 Gatbawi-ro 81-gil, Wachon-myeon, Gyeongsan-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do

About this place

Gatbawi is a seated stone Buddha on the summit of Gwanbong on Palgongsan. It is named for the slab resting on its head like a wide hat. It is thought to date from the late Unified Silla period and was designated a Treasure in 1965. As the entrance exam approaches, people come from all over the country, and the saying that one wholehearted wish will be granted has long followed the place.

Origin and history

Gatbawi is a seated stone Buddha on the summit of Gwanbong, 850 metres up on Palgongsan in Wachon-myeon, Gyeongsan. It was designated a Treasure in 1965 and is considered a work of the late Unified Silla period.

The figure and its pedestal are carved from a single stone, set within an enclosure of rocks standing round it like a screen. It is called the Gatbawi Buddha for the natural stone slab resting on its head like a hat; that slab is substantially broken.

What it is locally associated with

Power spot
The slab that looks like a hat
A natural stone slab, substantially broken.
documented history
Origin
Which buddha it is has not been settled
The earth-touching mudra belongs to Shakyamuni, yet the record allows it may be a Bhaisajyaguru; the round object on the palm is not identified either.
documented history
What people do hereExams & Study
Gatbawi before the exam
People climb from all over the country in the weeks before the entrance exam, year after year.
local custom

Which buddha this is has not been settled. The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture notes that the figure holds the earth-touching mudra of Shakyamuni, and then that it may nonetheless be a Bhaisajyaguru. The small round object on its palm is not identified as a medicine jar either. The familiar identification as the medicine buddha comes from reading that object as a medicine bowl, and the state record does not go that far.

What people do here, unlike what the figure is, is perfectly clear. As the entrance exam approaches, people climb to Gwanbong from all over the country, and the scene repeats every year. The saying that one wish will be granted has followed the place a long time, but it is something people have passed along rather than something the temple states.

Claims and evidence levels 5

The seated stone Buddha on the summit of Gwanbong was designated a Treasure in 1965 and is considered a work of the late Unified Silla period. documented history
The Encyclopedia of Korean Culture records that the figure holds the earth-touching mudra of Shakyamuni but that it may be a Bhaisajyaguru; the small round object on its palm is not identified as a medicine jar. documented history
The slab on the figure’s head, from which the name comes, is a natural stone and is substantially broken. documented history
In the weeks before the national university entrance examination, visitors climb to the figure from across the country; the practice is reported annually. local custom
A saying that one wholehearted wish will be granted here has long circulated; it is popular tradition rather than a statement by the temple. popular modern

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.