Sang Won Sa

The base of the climb.

This is “Kwandaguri”. It is sacred because during the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejo used to hang his clothes and hat here when he came down the mountain for a bath in the stream.

Along the walk, Buddhists add a stone to the piles at the side of the path and make a wish.

The final staircase. Almost there.

Sang Won Sa.

Construction of this Buddhist temple began in AD 662.

It’s remotely buried in the mountains. We had driven 3 hours from Seoul to a small town. This morning we drove a half hour outside the town to the park entrance, then another half hour on dirt roads into the mountains. We parked and hiked about a km up the hill. Not a difficult journey really, but I imagine that back in the day, even with a mule it must’ve taken months.

The shrine inside features two famous statues, not of Buddha but of a Buddhist Saint – Munsu, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom. I’m not sure about the other. You don’t take photos of the shrine.

The statue is famous for the hairstyle on Munsu. The reason I’ll remember it is because apart from the crazy hair, he also looks like he’s playing air guitar – left-handed air guitar. And he’s grinning like he’s playing a solo from Dark Side of the Moon.

The Ceiling.

This bridge is made of hard packed earth supported on pine tree stilts.