Seokguram, Buddhist temple on Mount Toham, South Korea
Seokguram is a Buddhist temple housed in a stone grotto atop Mount Toham, built entirely from carefully fitted granite blocks. Inside the dome-shaped chamber sits a monumental Buddha statue facing outward, with thirty-nine additional carved figures positioned around it in the rock walls.
Construction began in 742 during the Silla dynasty and marked a high point of early Korean Buddhist architecture. The structure reflects the technical capabilities and spiritual ambitions of that ancient kingdom.
The carved figures surrounding the main Buddha represent different spiritual roles within Buddhist teaching and practice. They show how this faith was understood and visualized by the craftspeople who shaped them.
The interior can only be viewed through protective glass panels that shield the artifacts inside. This arrangement maintains steady temperature and humidity conditions to keep the stone carvings and statues in good condition.
The main Buddha statue faces the East Sea, and the grotto's window opening is precisely calculated to cast specific light patterns at sunrise. This deliberate design creates a connection between the structure and the natural world.
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