Chiljangsa Temple in Anseong, South Korea.

 Chiljangsa Temple in Anseong, South Korea.

Chiljangsa Temple is said to have been founded by Jajang (590-658), an eminent monk of the Silla kingdom (57 BCE- 935 CE). Several centuries later, in 1014, the temple was expanded by State PreceptocHyeso of Goryeo.

The temple maintained its great reputation throughout the Goryeo period (918-1392). In 1383, when Japanese pirates invaded Korea, the Annals of the Goryeo Dynasty, which were kept at a temple in Chungju, were temporarily moved to Chiljangsa Temple to protect them from destruction. During the Joseon period (1392-1910), Queen Dowager Inmok (1584-1632) selected the temple as the place to pray for the spirits of her deceased father and son. As its location was regarded as auspicious, many powerful families sought to seize the temple and make it their own private family cemetery, and destroyed the temple several times by fire.

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In 1704, during large-scale reconstruction work, more than fifty buildings were built in the temple's premises. However, the temple was burned down again in 1887, leaving only Daeungjeon Hall, Wontongjeon Hall, Myeongbujeon Hall, Nahanjeon Hall, and the Gate of the Four Guardian Kings. Since then, the temple has undergone several reconstructions and repairs, and currently comprises just twelve buildings.

There are several tales and legends associated with Chiljangsa Temple. It is said that when State Preceptor Hyeso stayed at this temple, seven thieves came to see him. Influenced by the monk's teaching, the thieves were enlightened and became wise men. Buddha statues representing these seven wise men are enshrined in Nahanjeon Hall.

Another legend concerns Bak Mun-su (1691-1756), a renowned civil official of the late Joseon period. While he was on his way to Hanyang (modern-day Seoul) to take the state examination, he spent one night at Chiljangsa Temple. As he slept, Bak dreamed of an arhat who revealed to him the examination question, and he went on to win first place in the examination.

This pagoda stands 375cm high. It was peculiar that there appears a small door ring-shaped design sculpture in first-story base. As the structure ascends, capstones gradually get smaller, built on a four-step base. It was assumed that the pagoda was built in the early Goryeo Dynasty. (918-1392 AD)

Daeungjeon Hal! of ChHjangsa Temple

Treasure No. 2036

While no one knows exactly when Daeungjeon Hall of Chiljangsa Temple in Anseong was originally built, records show that it underwent a major renovation in 1790 and was moved to its current location in 1828. The building is regarded as a fine example of Buddhist architecture of the late Joseon period.

The hall is a three-bay by three-bay structure with a tiled gable roof, and is notable for the

installation of elaborate ornamental bracket clusters not only on the column tops but between them as well. Each bay has two bracket clusters fixed under the eaves. The hall also has a grid-shape ceiling elaborately decorated with paintings of lotus flowers and other common Buddhist motifs, and is enshrined with the Shakyamuni Buddha Triad.

This statue originally from the Bongecpsa Temple was moved to the present day Juksan Middle School and then into the Chiljangsa Temple. The same type of stone was used for the statue and halo. The figure stands is 166.5cm tall and the overall height of the statue is 206cm. There is a halo symbolizing the brilliance of the whole body at the rear of the Buddha statue. The statue of Buddha is highly evaluated as a source to review the characteristics of the local Buddha statue making that prevailed during the early Goryeo Dynasty( 918-1392 A,D.)