Bohyeonsa, Buddhist temple on Mount Myohyang, North Korea

Bohyeonsa is a Buddhist temple in the Myohyang Mountains whose main buildings stand along an axis centered on Taeung Hall, a 1976 reconstruction of the 1765 original. Much of the center is a large lawn ringed by halls and shrines. Visitors enter through a side gate; the old outer Jogye Gate, built in 1644, is closed to through traffic.

Pohyon Temple was founded in 1024 under the Koryo dynasty and named after Samantabhadra (Pohyon Posal). During the Imjin Wars it became a stronghold of warrior monks led by the saint Sosan, who at 73 helped recapture Pyongyang; he died at the temple in 1604. The temple safeguarded the Chonju copy of the Yi Dynasty Annals, the only one to survive the war. US bombing in 1951 destroyed over half of its 24 pre-war buildings.

Kwanum Hall, built in 1449, is the oldest building in the compound and is named after the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (Guanyin in Chinese). It is National Treasure #57. East of it stands Ryongsan Hall, and the walled Suchung Shrine nearby honours the warrior monks of the 1592–1598 Japanese invasions.

The temple is accessed through a side entrance that leads toward the inner sanctuary. The hillside setting means paths wind through the grounds, so sturdy footwear helps when exploring the full layout.

The nine-story Tabo Pagoda dates to 1044 and stands as one of the oldest structures on the grounds. This stone tower displays rare architectural features from that early period in Korean Buddhist construction.