Finally she returned with traditional Korean tea and this was the closest we got to the “tea ceremony” that both she and the online program stated we would be part of. Also consider a temple stay in the future and I know I would avoid this one. Bulguksa■ BULGUKSA TEMPLESTAY - A Unesco World Heritage SiteBulguksa Temple has been listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site and is the temple that best exemplifies the Buddhist culture of the 8th century. But you have to do a booking the day before. In 1995, Bulguksa … If you want to find things to do in the area, you may want to check out Blue One Water Park and Bomun Lake. This sarira pagoda, looks like a stone lantern and stands 2.1 metres tall. We returned to the building where we were staying off the complex. Bulguksa Temple in Gyeongju is one of the most celebrated and visited temples in the whole of South Korea. Nestled on the the wooded slopes of Mt. I could only think that maybe we should have stuck to the program and visited in the afternoon of the previous day. After debating the issue with someone on her phone and sitting it out in her office for awhile she said a monk told her the roads were fine. 27 are two guilt-bronze Buddha statues. The Amitabha Buddha statue is 1.66 metres in height and enshrined in Geuknakjeon. During the program you will have a tour of the temple… The scenery inside Bulguksa Temple … during your temple stay. Luckily, guide-lady explained we could use the temples credit card machine at the gates. Where is Bulguksa Temple? Bulguksa Temple 불국사 is arguably the most popular attraction in Gyeongju along with Anapji Pond 안압지 which is extremely picturesque at night. Will be visiting Bulguksa temple tomorrow. ○ The program contents & time line can be changed due to seasons, weather, conditions of the temple, numbers of participants, or any unexpected matters. Bulguksa Temple 불국사 is arguably the most popular attraction in Gyeongju along with Anapji Pond 안압지 which is extremely picturesque at night. I then realized that she was referring to the Sea of Japan (which the grotto overlooks). This impressive temple … Only the next morning did she mention smaller sizes were available for me…. To make matters worse the price that I thought was per couple was actually per person and we didn’t have enough cash. She instructed us to rest for a bit and then come down and join her in making meditation beads. I was planning to do a temple stay probably just a visit would do. Bulguksa Temple is one of Gyeongju-si's most renowned sites. Instead, she gave us no information on our “new” itinerary, we were left in the dark the entire time. As guide-lady explained the site to us, she pointed towards the “East Sea.” Having never heard the term before, I originally thought something was getting lost in translation. Thanks from Toronto Canada, Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. The pair were built at the same time as their brother bridges, National Treasure No.23: the Cheongungyo (Blue Cloud Bridge) and Baegungyo (White Cloud Bridge) Bridges. Both statues are estimated to be from the late 8th or early part of the 9th century and share stylistic features. Visitors enjoy Gyeongju for attractions such as the historical sites. Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism bulguksa@templestay.com 불국사 대한불교 조계종 제11교구 본사 불국사는 한국불교를 대표하는 사찰이자, 유네스코가 지정한 세계문화유산입니다. You’re right about expectations but your expectations were reasonable; the failures were not on your part.Anyway, it’s a wonderful account! Thank you for the information. Bulguksa Temple, which literally translates to Temple of the Buddha Land, is considered as a masterpiece of the golden age of Buddhist art in the Silla kingdom and is currently the head temple of the 11th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. The experiential program affords guests the opportunity to learn about the cultural assets at the temple, and take walks around the pagodas. How to Get to Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple. The temple was constructed under King Gyeongdeok in 751 and was completed in 774 by the Silla royal court.  Like many of the other sites we visited in Korea, Bulguksa was burned to the ground during the Imjin wars, later reconstructed and expanded multiple times. Hotels near Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju on Tripadvisor: Find 2,604 traveller reviews, 8,970 candid photos, and prices for 30 hotels near Bulguksa Temple in … The main Buddha statue is actually quite amazing, It is 3.5 metres tall and sits on a 1.3 meter tall lotus pedestal. She seemed quite happy about getting to stay away from the temple for a night – she explained she doesn’t get cable TV in her temple room and was happy to watch her shows. I had no idea that was an option, we had made a reservation and I planned on keeping it. ○ Preparationspersonal toiletries, towels, spare clothing, comfortable shoes(preferably running shoes/ trekking shoes), socks, umbrella(if rain), personal water bottle(thermos) if need○ Instagram : https://instrgram.com/bulguksatemplestay. But then I remembered Korea’s long and troubled history with Japan. The two famous stone pagodas, Dabotap and Seokgatap, which reside in the main courtyard of the Bulguksa Temple complex. She also explained that only two monks would be attending the ceremony – the only two not on holidays I assume. - 20,000(KRW)~40,000(KRW) - Groups discounts available ○ Breathing in the Millennial air - Overnight program - One night & Two days/ over 3~5 people (minimum) - Temple Etiquette, Temple Tour, Tea time with a monk, Morning ceremony and Meditation, Listening to four Dharma instruments, 108 Prostrations with prayer beads making or Lotus flower lantern making, Circling around the Pagodas, Temple meals - Adult 80,000(KRW), Student 70,000(KRW) - Groups discounts available○ Inquiry Time : 09:00-17:00 Office : 82-(0)54-746-0983 Mobile : 82-10-7773-0983 bulguksa@templestay.com * Please leave a message when not answering the call which is due to running the templestay program.○ Please arrive by 2:00PM or 2:30PM○ For groups(company training, travel agencies, schools), custom-made programs are available, please check in advance with the temple’s manager.○ Our temple house(accomodation) is outside of the temple where is far about 20 min. Copyright ⓒ 2016 Templestay. Historic Sites, Sacred & Religious Sites. Enjoy your article. Your temple stay was heroic! I reviewed two of the magazines published by Templestay Korea which featured other temple-stays and they looked amazing (totally inline with, if not above my expectations). Bulguksa … When you stay at Bulguksa Family Hotel in Gyeongju, you'll be next to a golf course, just steps from Seokguram Grotto and 13 minutes by foot from Bulguksa Temple. It’s not like we could reschedule for another day – our days in Korea were pretty limited. Guide-lady explained the stones from National Treasure 22 and 23 are some of the only features preserved from the original Silla construction. The Buddha of Enlightenment is enshrined in the Birojeon and 1.77 metres in height. But I do highly recommend visiting this astounding temple filled with National Treasures, just during regular hours as one of many, many tourists! Address : Bulguksa, 385, Bulguk-ro, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea. We walked over to where the evening Ye-Bool ceremony was to take place and guide-lady gave us an introduction to meditation and taught us how to bow properly. Supposedly, to a Korean, there is no such thing as The Sea of Japan, the body of water between Korea and Japan is known only as the East Sea. The stairs at the Anyangmun-Gate and Jahamun-Gate particularly display the power of the Silla kingdom and culture. -Choose the program at the templestay reservation system. When it comes to Gyeongju, Bulguksa Temple comes to mind. I was looking forward to walking through the temple complex after hours – after all of the other tourists had left – and was disappointed that we rushed through it barely seeing anything. 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