Woljeongsa & Sangwonsa Temples in Odaesan
I didn't originally plan to travel to Odaesan (Mount Odae). I was just looking for a place I could easily visit from Seoul without too much hassle, which led me to Odaesan, and naturally, I came across the story of Woljeongsa Temple. The fact that it still has a nine-story octagonal stone pagoda from the Goryeo Dynasty, and that Odaesan, near Sogeumgang (a scenic valley), has a great fir tree forest for trekking—unlike Seoul where it's hard to even breathe due to the smog and fine dust—were the reasons I chose it as my destination.
Woljeongsa Temple
In the late Silla period, after the monk Jajang Yulsa finished his ascetic practice at Mount Wutai in China and returned to Silla, he named this place Odaesan because the mountains here in present-day Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do looked similar, and he built Woljeongsa. It probably wasn't large from the beginning, but Woljeongsa is the temple built after enshrining the relics of Shakyamuni Buddha brought from China in the Jeokmyeolbogung (shrine). It's a temple that left a massive mark on Korean Buddhist history, but during the Korean War, the South Korean army burned down all the temples in this area out of fear that the North Korean army would use them as a base. So, a thousand years of history or not, absolutely nothing from that time remains today. While the Monuments Men were active in the US and Europe during World War II, we just burned everything down.
As you drive toward Woljeongsa, there's a ticket booth in the middle of the road. The government abolished the national park maintenance fee, but the temple separately charges an admission and parking fee under the pretext of maintenance. Parking is 4,000 KRW, and adult admission is 3,000 KRW per person. Many people point this out, and I guess I'll have to go inside to see exactly what kind of maintenance they are doing.
The main things to see at Woljeongsa are National Treasure No. 48, the 'Octagonal Nine-Story Stone Pagoda of Woljeongsa,' and Treasure No. 139, the Stone Seated Bodhisattva. A replica of the Stone Seated Bodhisattva is on display, while the original is kept in the Seongbo Museum inside Woljeongsa. As I mentioned earlier, the rest of the historical buildings were all burned down by the South Korean army.
National Treasure No. 48: Octagonal Nine-Story Stone Pagoda of Woljeongsa (Wikipedia)
Treasure No. 139: Stone Seated Bodhisattva (Wikipedia)
Looking just at the pagoda, it's amazingly well-preserved to the point where it's hard to believe it has survived for over a thousand years. Four of the stories had collapsed and were replaced, and they say treasures kept inside were discovered during this process. Those treasures are also said to be in the Seongbo Museum, but I didn't see them when I went; there were only some strange folk paintings kept behind the glass.
Speaking of the Seongbo Museum, you can't take pictures inside, and folk paintings were displayed behind glass. However, the seated statue that actually needs to be carefully preserved was just left sitting out in the open. You could even touch it if you wanted to. I have no idea why these people are charging an admission fee or what exactly they are preserving. At the ticket booth, there are staff everywhere to make sure not a single person slips by, but there isn't a single person guarding the inside of the museum. It completely defies my common sense.
Fir Tree Path
I calmed my agitated mind and walked along the fir tree path. I was a bit puzzled by some incomprehensible artificial artworks placed here and there, but it seems like half the people like them and half hate them.
Sangwonsa Temple
Sangwonsa is a branch temple of Woljeongsa. If you translate the Chinese characters literally, it means the temple at the very end of Woljeongsa, so does that mean Woljeongsa's territory spans about 10km? I'm not really sure. It's 8.8km from Woljeongsa to Sangwonsa, so it's better to take a car. However, people who come for hiking in the surrounding area seem to walk there themselves.
When you arrive, there's a small stone pillar you can see right away. It's the Gwandaegeori, where King Sejo hung his clothes to take a bath, which still remains. Since it was the early Joseon Dynasty, transitioning from Buddhism to Confucianism, perhaps the power of Buddhism still lingered, leaving behind stories related to Buddhism. Among them is a famous anecdote about Sangwonsa and the Gwandaegeori.
The Story of King Sejo and Munsu Bosal (Bodhisattva Manjusri)
To summarize, King Sejo, who had committed evil deeds, met Munsu Bosal twice while repenting. During the first encounter, he met Munsu Bosal disguised as a child monk. The spot where he took off and hung his clothes to ask the child monk to scrub his back is the Gwandaegeori, and a wooden statue carved in the image of that child monk is enshrined in the main hall of Sangwonsa.
Of course, I hung my top there and struck a pose like a king for a photo... but I came out looking like a eunuch, so I can't post the picture.
There's one more thing to talk about regarding Sangwonsa. While the South Korean army completely burned down Woljeongsa, the head monk of Sangwonsa reportedly demanded that they burn him along with it, as it was his duty to protect the temple. Because he spoke so strongly, they couldn't bring themselves to do it and supposedly only burned the doors. Since the entire temple was rebuilt after liberation, you can't see the cultural assets from the Silla and Goryeo periods that you might want to see, but you can feel the spirit of protecting the temple.
The must-sees at Sangwonsa are National Treasure No. 36, the Bronze Bell of Sangwonsa, and National Treasure No. 221, the Wooden Seated Child Manjusri mentioned above. I hadn't figured out about the Wooden Seated Child Manjusri beforehand, so I didn't get a proper look at it. As always, I only found out while organizing my thoughts after the trip. So clumsy~
National Treasure No. 36: Bronze Bell of Sangwonsa
National Treasure No. 221: Wooden Seated Child Manjusri of Sangwonsa
