Valley Layout

The Yeolam-gok Valley is located on the southeastern side of Mt. Namsan (495.1 m) in Gyeongju. The Yeolam-gok Valley is probably one of the least traveled portions of Mt. Namsan, especially when you consider that the mountain is home to such highlights as Chilbulam Hermitage, the Samreung Valley on the west side of the mountain, Bucheobawi, Sambulsa Temple, the Yongjangsa-ji Temple Site, and numerous other sites. In fact, Mt. Namsan is home to some 122 temples and temple sites, 53 stone statues, 64 pagodas, 16 stone lanterns, 36 monuments, royal tombs and even a fortress. Of this total number, two of these amazing sites can be found in the Yeolam-gok Valley.

From the southern parking lot of Mt. Namsan, which belongs to the Gyeongju National Park, you’ll make your way up an 800 metre long trail. Eventually, you’ll come to a clearing to your right where you’ll find the “Stone Seated Buddha in Yeolam-gok Valley” and the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley.” To gain access to this clearing, you’ll need to head north for about 50 metres. Eventually, you’ll find a pathway that leads you into this clearing.

In May 2007, a seated Buddha statue in Yeolam-gok Valley in the southern part of Mt. Namsan was discovered while the Gyeongju National Research Institute of the Cultural Heritage Administration, which is in charge of protecting and promoting Korean cultural heritage in Gyeongju, was repairing the neighboring “Stone Seated Buddha in Yeolam-gok Valley.” Imagine the surprise of the person who discovered this massive 70-ton, 6.2-metre-tall high-relief image of the Buddha. What’s even more surprising about this high-relief image is that it was discovered in a fallen position perfectly preserved coming to rest some 10 centimetres from having its entire face destroyed by the rocky ground below.

As to how the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” first came to fall, it was surmised that the statue was toppled by an earthquake. The Korean Peninsula is considered a stable location in comparison to neighboring countries like Taiwan and Japan. However, according to historical records, this certainly doesn’t preclude the Korean Peninsula from having its fair share of earthquakes. In fact, according to several historical texts like the Samguk Sagi, or “History of the Three Kingdoms” in English, there have been several destructive earthquakes in the region like those in 768 A.D., 779 A.D. and 1036. The last two earthquakes were especially destructive causing severe damage to historical sites like the famed Hwangnyongsa Temple pagoda and Bulguksa Temple, both of which are also located in Gyeongju. In fact, the 779 A.D. earthquake is well-documented in the Samguk Sagi. In this book, the destruction caused by this earthquake is described as, “About 100 people are killed and a number of buildings are destroyed by the earthquake.” It’s believed that this earthquake had a magnitude of 6.7 on the Richter scale.

Based upon the initial studies of the Yeolam-gok-ji Temple Site, it was determined that the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” fell between 1130 and 1370. What’s peculiar about this time frame is that no major earthquake is recorded to have taken place at this time. However, further studies have revealed that the earthquake that detached the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” from its rock face had a 6.4 magnitude and hit the region in 1430. This then resulted in the statue falling and rotating 20 degrees clockwise and sliding several meters from its original position. Eventually, it would come to rest on a 45-degree slope some 800 metres up the Yeolam-gok Valley, miraculously still intact. And because of the way it fell, it had been perfectly preserved some 10 centimetres from the rocky ground.

As for the artistic style of the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley,” it goes a long way in determining just how old it might be. Things that are typically considered are the carving style, the facial features and the clothing depicted when determining the age of a statue or relief. All three together help formulate a date for the relief’s construction. And with all this in mind, the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” was determined to have been first constructed around the late eighth century.

To further emphasize this destructive point of the earthquakes in the region, the previously mentioned “Stone Seated Buddha in Yeolam-gok Valley” was also completely destroyed by an earthquake. This statue is located some 20 metres to the north of the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley.” The stone seated statue of the Buddha is about three metres in height, and it dates back to around the eighth or ninth century, which is around the same time that the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” is thought to have been first constructed. In 2005, some two years before the discovery of the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley,” the head of the statue was located in the lower part of the valley. And after the head was rediscovered, the rest of the statue, nimbus and pedestal stone that had fragmented upon their falls, were placed upon a newly built pedestal. While the “Stone Seated Buddha in Yeolam-gok Valley” isn’t as perfectly preserved as the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley,” both are now together, once more, on the Yeolamgok-ji Temple Site.

What makes this situation and this newly discovered high-relief even more interesting is the proposal to have it re-erected. The Jogye-jong Order, which is the largest Buddhist order in Korea, announced in January, 2023 that it had the intention of resurrecting the newly discovered treasure. The Gyeongju National Research Institute will be in charge of this project, which is expected to be completed sometime in 2025. But before this can be done, continued examination of the site, as well as numerous computer simulations, need to be completed in order to locate the perfect new location for the resurrected statue so as to avoid its former fate. The one major hitch is that a statue of such size and enormity has never been moved before, and the statue already displays some signs of cracking from its original fall.

How To Get There

You’ll first need to take a taxi from the Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal to the southern parking lot of the Gyeongju National Park for the Yeolam-gok Valley. The taxi ride should take about 20 minutes, or 17 km, and it’ll cost you around 20,000 won (one way). From the northern part of the upper parking lot, you’ll see a trailhead with a brown trail marker that reads “Seated Stone Buddha Statue of Yeoramgok.” Follow this trail for 800 metres until you come to the clearing that houses both the “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” and the “Stone Seated Buddha in Yeolam-gok Valley.”

Overall Rating: 6/10

The “Maae-bul in Yeolam-gok Valley” is definitely one of the more peculiar things you’ll find anywhere in Korea. Just ten centimetres of space spared us this beautiful treasure. And for now, it remains tipped over; however, it appears as though it won’t stay this way for much longer. So if you want to see something a little different, and alongside the “Seated Stone Buddha Statue of Yeolam-gok,” you definitely need to make your way up the south side of Mt. Namsan and the Yeolam-gok Valley. It’s definitely one of the underappreciated places on Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju.

One of the great things about running a website about Korean Buddhist temples is that you get to meet a lot of amazing people. And a lot of these amazing people have varying backgrounds, interests, and insights. Rather amazingly, some of these people first visited Korea in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Here are their stories!

Q1: Where are you originally from? Introduce yourself a little.

A: I grew up in Ohio and graduated from Ohio University. I married Mary Ann Llewellyn from New Jersey.

Q2: When and why did you first come to Korea?

A: We joined the Peace Corps in October, 1968, and we went to Korea in January, 1969.

Q3: When you first came to Korea what city did you live? Did you subsequently move around?

A: We lived in Busan for 2 years and then moved to Seoul, where we spent almost 4 more years.

Q4: What was the first temple you visited in Korea?

A: Beomeosa [Temple] was the first temple we visited, since it was close to Busan and quite famous.

Q5: What drew your interest to Korean Buddhist temples? (Buddhism, architecture, art, history, etc)

A: My interest developed from the remoteness of many temples. They had a quiet solitude often not found in Korea’s cities at that time. Even the temple’s in the big cities somehow seemed to drown out the everyday noise of life. I would often take several buses to get to some of the mountain temples. And then an hour or so hike up a mountain to find what I thought was the best. Fortunately, I often arrived in the early afternoon and could then have lunch with the monks at those temples.

Q6: What is your favorite temple? Why?

A: My favorite temple is Seokbulsa [Temple] known back then as Pyungpungam [Byeongpungam Hermitage]. When I lived in Busan, it was only accessible by taking the cable car up to the old North Fortress and then turning left for a 45 minute hike across the top of the mountain. The path would lead you to just below the temple; and most times as you approached, you could hear monks chanting and striking a wooden bell or clapper [moktak].

Once there, I was amazed by the Buddhist figures carved out of stone. The carvings held up to the story that “sculptors do not create figures, but only release them from the surrounding stone.” And it also included an artesian well hidden in the cleft of other rocks. With the path as the only access, it was truly small but peaceful. I took many a friend there to see it.

Fast forward to 2004 on our first time back in Korea since 1975, and I wanted to see this temple again. The years had taken their toll on me and the hike across the mountain was a bit harder. There were more paths which were unmarked save from a few stones pointing the way. Luckily one of them read Pyungpungam [Byeongpungam Hermitage]. I arrived at my favorite temple rejoicing that it had not much changed. The one difference was that there was now a paved road leading up to it, LOL.

After a nice visit, I walked down the road and took the subway back to downtown Busan, where we were staying.

Q7: What temple or hermitage has changed the most from when you were first got here? What has changed about it?

A: Not sure how many other temples have changed. The only ones I have really revisited besides Seokbulsa [Temple] and Jogyesa [Temple] in Seoul is Beomeosa [Temple]. Of course, Jogyesa [Temple] is now surrounded by skyscrapers, but it still maintains a quietness about it. But Beomeosa [Temple] now has a great museum on site where it preserves the paintings that used to be outside displayed in the main gate. The entranceway has also been opened up and there is parking for cars which of course was very limited in 1970. Physically there are changes, but the spirit of the old temple still survives.

Q8: What was the most difficult temple to get to? How did you get there?

A: If you see question #6, you might think it was Seokbulsa [Temple]. Let me say this, while living in Korea, I had an old book in English that was a guide to Korea’s Mountain Temples and named something like that. It told a little about each temple and what buses to take to get there. In that book, I had made a few notes about each one. But alas, it was one of the few things that got lost in shipping from Korea. So, I have pictures of temples whose names I do not know and remember long hikes to get there. So, there were others, but whose names I do not know or how I got there.

Q9: Did you remain in Korea or did you return home?

A: We returned to the U.S.A. in 1975. We returned to visit Korea for the first time in 2004, again in 2013, and then most recently in August, 2023. We are scheduled to return in April and May of 2024. This coincides with the National Library ceremony for my donation to them. We are using the occasion to show our children and grandchildren (who want and can come) Korea, as well as, the Kyoto area of Japan. We will be their tour guides while in Korea and Kyoto!

Hermitage History

Baekunam Hermitage, which means “White Cloud Hermitage” in English, is located in northern Chungju, Chungcheongbuk-do in the foothills of Mt. Bilmisan (352.2 m). In fact, the location of the hermitage is rather remote, and it’s situated with mountains to the west and agricultural fields to the east. It’s believed that Baekunam Hermitage was first founded in 1886 by a female shaman named Yun, who was also known as Lord of Jillyeong by the government of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910). In fact, Yun was known as a royal shaman.

There’s a rather interesting hermitage legend connecting shamans and the royal court. In 1882, Queen Min (1851-1895), who was also known as Empress Myeongseong, fled to Chungju during the Imo Incident (1882). The plight of Queen Min was perilous. She has just fled from the Royal Palace after rioters searched the royal grounds to kill her because of her membership in the much hated Min family; and as a result, of the perceived corruption of the government which was under Queen Min’s control. The rioters were poor and wanting revenge for the condition of their country and its people. The queen narrowly escaped the Royal Palace. Dressed as an ordinary lady of the court, Queen Min was carried on the back of a faithful guard who claimed that she was his sister. While in Chungju, a shaman predicted that Queen Min would return to the palace soon after taking flight from the Royal Palace and taking up residence at the home of Min Eung-sik. Eventually the queen would return to Seoul; but this time, with the shaman to serve her. In a dream, a white iron Buddha appeared to the shaman. In this dream, an iron Buddha asked the shaman to be enshrined in a temple, so a temple was built on the spot which is now Baekunam Hermitage. Baekunam Hermitage was built in 1886.

Much later, and after the hermitage was reconstructed in 1977, was the Yosachae (dorms) built. In 1991, the Samseong-gak Hall was built and the dorms were repaired. In 1991, the abbot of the hermitage, Jinsong, rebuilt the Daeung-jeon Hall. And in 2002, an access road was built to replace the formerly unpaved hermitage road.

Baekunam Hermitage is home to a single Korean Treasure. This treasure is Korean Treasure #1527, and it’s officially known as the “Iron Seated Buddha at Baegunam Hermitage.”

Hermitage Layout

You first approach the hermitage from the hermitage parking lot and around a bend in the road. The first of the two hermitage shrine halls that visitors can explore is the diminutive Samseong-gak Hall. The exterior walls to this shaman shrine hall are adorned in simple dancheong colours. Stepping inside the Samseong-gak Hall, you’ll find a collection of shaman murals that date back to 1888. The first of the three, and hanging on the far left side of the main altar, is the mural dedicated to Sanshin (The Mountain Spirit). The tiger in the Sanshin painting has a leopard-like face and a tiger body. It has a long tail that stands erect next to the Mountain Spirit’s head. And its green eyes look across Sanshin’s body protectively. Next to this mural is the older Chilseong (Seven Stars) mural. And hanging on the far right part of the main altar is a mural dedicated to Dokseong (The Lonely Saint). Birds fly overhead, flowers from the trees hang down, and Dokseong sits contemplatively with his long white eyebrows.

Next to the Samseong-gak Hall, and to the right, is the Daeung-jeon Hall. The Daeung-jeon Hall is both a storage area and the main hall at Baekunam Hermitage. The central part of the Daeung-jeon Hall is the shrine hall. Like the Samseong-gak Hall, the exterior to the Daeung-jeon Hall is plainly painted in traditional dancheong colours.

Stepping inside the main hall, your eyes will instantly be drawn to the main altar and the “Iron Seated Buddha at Baegunam Hermitage.” It’s believed that this statue, which looks to be Seokgamoni-bul (The Historical Buddha), was moved to its current location of Baekunam Hermitage from the ruins of the neighbouring the Eokjeongsa-ji Temple Site. The Eokjeongsa-ji Temple Site was a large temple that was first built during the Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). The iron Buddha has a gentle face, and its robe hangs over just its left shoulder. The iron Buddha sits with its legs crossed and making the “Touching the Earth” mudra (ritualized hand gesture). The iron Buddha stands 87 cm in height, and it’s believed to date back to late Unified Silla (668-935 A.D.) to early Goryeo Dynasty (918-1392). Overall, the statue is quite well preserved with no major signs of damage. The “Iron Seated Buddha at Baegunam Hermitage” is the oldest of the three iron statues in Chungju alongside those at Daewonsa Temple and Danhosa Temple. The “Iron Seated Buddha at Baegunam Hermitage” is Korean Treasure #1527.

The only other building at the hermitage are the monks’s dorms and administrative office to the right of the Daeung-jeon Hall.

How To Get There

From the Chungju Intercity Bus Terminal, the easiest way to get to Baekunam Hermitage is to simply take a taxi. The taxi ride will last 25 minutes, or 19.1 km, and it’ll cost about 15,800 won (one way).

Overall Rating: 6/10

The obvious major highlight at Baekunam Hermitage is the “Iron Seated Buddha at Baegunam Hermitage.” The iron statue of the Buddha is a wonderful example of Buddhist artistry from late Unified Silla and/or the early Goryeo Dynasty. The statue is both masterful and sublime. In addition to this main hall statue, have a look inside the Samseong-gak Hall at the late 19th century shaman murals of Sanshin, Dokseong, and Chilseong. While harder to get to, Baekunam Hermitage is definitely worth it.