As an ancient capital with a history of prosperity for thousands of years, the history of Gyeongju can be traced back to the founding of Silla in 57 BC. King Park He Jushi established the capital in Xu Luofa. Since then, Gyeongju has begun to have an urban appearance.

It is located in Tuhan Mountain, southeast of North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It was built in 530 AD. It is also the most representative Buddhist temple in Korea, with a very rich architectural style.

1. Grotto Temple and Foguo Temple traceability

Gyeongju Grotto Temple and Foguo Temple are located in Gyeongju City, Gyeongsang North Dock, eastern South Korea, 2280 kilometers away from the capital Seoul html. As an ancient capital with a history of prosperity for thousands of years, the history of Gingzhou can be traced back to the founding of Silla in 57 BC. King Park Hyo-jushi established the capital in Xu Luofa (formerly known as Gyeongju). Since then, Gyeongju has begun to have an urban appearance. In 677 AD, with the help of the Tang Dynasty in China at that time, the Silla Kingdom eliminated the Silla Kingdom Goguryeo and Baekje , established the unified Silla Kingdom, and established the capital of Xu Luofa. The unified Silla culture has become even more brilliant and brilliant since then. In 935 AD, Goryeo Taizu Wang Jian 2 destroyed Silla, established Goryeo Kingdom, and established its capital in Kaicheng. Xu Luofa was officially renamed Qingzhou. It has accumulated the essence of religion, culture and art of the Silla dynasty for more than 50 generations and more than 900 years. Various relics and monuments representing the excellent culture of the Silla period are spread all over every corner of Gyeongju, so Gyeongju is called a "museum without walls."

Foguo Temple, located in the southwest of Tuhan Mountain in Qingzhou, was founded in 530 AD, expanded from Jin Dacheng in 751 AD, and completed in 774 AD. It is said that there were more than 80 halls and pavilions in the temple at that time. It was burned in 1592 during the war, and some buildings were rebuilt during the Joseon Dynasty. In 1970, the South Korean government completely restored the Buddha Temple, and the buildings such as Guanyin Temple, Vairo Temple, and corridors that were originally left with only the ruins were restored. The Buddha Kingdom Temple belongs to the layout of the classic temple. One of its characteristics is that the courtyard surrounded by the main hall, the left and right corridors of Zixia Gate and Wushu Hall, and the courtyard surrounded by the corridors of the Jile Hall as the center, from the left and right Anyang Gate to the back of the Jile Hall; another characteristic is the form of the two-pagoda temple architecture of the Sakyamuni Pagoda and Duobao Pagoda. This building is known as the most exquisite Buddhist temple in Korea. Grottoes was originally an appendix to the Foguo Temple. It was built at the same time when the Foguo Temple was expanded and built in 751. It is located at the top of the Tuhan Mountain behind the Foguo Temple. It is a cave temple hewn with natural giant stones, composed of ingenious stone carvings. Its layout is "front and backward circle".

2. Artistic characteristics

The stone ancient monuments of the Buddha Temple are all built with granite . Whether it is the portraits of Bodhisattvas and believers, the gods surrounding them, or the reliefs carved into the top and base, they are all realistic and exquisite. Their form and architectural methods are the essence of civil and architectural techniques at that time, and their style is gorgeous and magnificent, and they are the treasure house of Korean stone art. The two pagodas in the temple, the masculine stone pagoda and the feminine wooden pagoda, expressing a ubiquitous beauty of balance and harmony. The grotto temple carving technique is unique and is known as the unprecedented work of the Silla Dynasty in its heyday of religion, theory, science and plastic arts. Its construction plan integrates architecture, water conservancy, geometry, physics, religion and art into a unified whole. Its scale, exquisite carving and spatial layout are all world masterpieces. The architecture and carvings of the Grotto Temple and the Foguo Temple fully demonstrate the profoundness of Silla culture and are a treasure in the cultural corridor of Korean history .

3. Foguo Temple

Foguo Temple is the largest and most magnificent Buddhist temple in Gyeongju area. It is known as the most exquisite Buddhist temple in South Korea and is designated as the number one historical site by the Korean government. But the reason for this is not because of its huge scale or age, but because of the Silla architecture in the temple and the existence of many precious Buddhist national treasures, it is famous all over the world.

The back of the Buddha Kingdom Temple is surrounded by green mountains, with green streams and dense forests. On the mountain gate hidden among the green leaves, there are six golden words "Tuhanshan Foguo Temple" written on it. Walking into the mountain gate, two double-story stone altars built side by side are towering towards each other, and four stone bridges are set on both sides of the stone altar. There are two bridges at Zixia Gate, Qinglong and Baiyun. It is said that walking across the bridge means crossing the other side to reach the Buddhist land of happiness; the other gate of Anyang Gate also has two bridges at Lotus and Seven Treasures. It is said that passing through Anyang Gate also means entering the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss. There was a ninth-grade lotus pond under the bridge that symbolized the temple and the world, but it was later destroyed.Go up the granite stone steps inside the temple gate and you can reach the Mainland Hall. There is a tower on each side of the Main Hall. The east tower is called Duobao Pagoda, which is 10.4 meters high. It is a three-story stone tower built on a double-layer base. It is a representative work of Silla stone art and is listed as the 20th national treasure of South Korea. Although the tower is made of stone, it is built in the style of a wooden tower. The Sita is called the Saga Pagoda, which is 8.2 meters high. It is a typical stone pagoda in Silla. It has a simple appearance and is well-proportioned and beautiful. It is listed as the 21st national treasure of South Korea. Both pagodas are the most exquisite among the pagodas of the Silla period, and once made the Buddha Temple at that time a typical example of the most popular "two pagoda" pattern. The main halls in the Buddha Kingdom Temple include the Daxiong Hall, the Jile Hall, the Vila Hall and the Guanyin Hall. The halls are not large in size, and the upper lip of the Buddha statues worshipped inside all have beards on the upper lip of the face, similar to the shape of the Buddha statues before the Tang Dynasty in China.

4.号安

According to the design of that year,安安安 is an affiliated part of the Buddha Kingdom Temple. It is named "Grotto Temple" because it is a Buddhist temple built in a grotto made of natural giant stones.

The Grotto Temple itself is a complete temple, and the temple consists of two parts: the front room and the back room. The front room is 6.8 meters wide and 4.8 meters long; the circular main room at the rear has a diameter of 7.2 meters, indicating the heaven. The two rooms are connected by a passage with a width of 3.6 meters and a length of 2.9 meters. The front room is a square hall, and the eight Buddhist gods and golden masters are carved on the stone walls in the hall. The back room is the main hall, with an arched hall with a diameter of 6.85 meters. Tuhan Mountain is a natural barrier for the Silla Kingdom to defend against foreign invasions. The grotto temple faces the sea in the east. Standing in front of the temple, you can look at the lush sea and enjoy the beautiful and spectacular sunrise in the east. In the past, this place has always been a place where people indulge in incense and make wishes and pray for peace and prosperity in the country.

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