Tongdosa Temple, Busan, South Korea - 통도사 (通度寺), 부산시
Tongdosa Temple, Busan, South Korea - 통도사 (通度寺), 부산시
Tongdosa Temple, Busan, Korea, South
Photo Gallery
Tongdosa Temple - 통도사 (通度寺) (founded 646, oldest buildings 16th century onward)
Tongdosa is one of the most important temples in Korea. Founded by the Priest Jajang-yulsa upon his return from China in 646 AD, it reputedly houses relics of the historical Buddha himself, including a robe, a begging bowl, and a bone from his skull. The temple survived the fall of Silla and thrived well into the Goryeo period (918-1392), when it became one of the three largest temples in Korea, a distinction it still shares with Haeinsa and Songgwangsa. At its height of its prosperity in the mid 15th century, Tongdosa may have contained hundreds of buildings and thousands of monks. Though most of these were destroyed in the Japanese invasions at the end of the 16th century, one building�the Daeungjeon�escaped the flames, and was last repaired in the early 17th century.
Tongdosa is often called "The temple without a Buddha", for there is not a single outdoor statue of Buddha on grounds. Instead, the temple's courtyards are arrayed around several stupas (pagodas) that supposedly house Jajang's precious gifts. Another point of note is an eternal flame that is supposed to have been kept ablaze for over 1,300 years, but like all such stories, it is probably not true.
Plan view
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Image adapted from Iddange Saegyojin Chungshin (The Spirit Etched on this Land) by Kim Bong Ryol, c. 1999.East courtyard plan:
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Image adapted from Iddange Saegyojin Chungshin (The Spirit Etched on this Land) by Kim Bong Ryol, c. 1999.West courtyard plan:
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Image adapted from Iddange Saegyojin Chungshin (The Spirit Etched on this Land) by Kim Bong Ryol, c. 1999.
