Bulguksa

Bulguksa is a Buddhist temple in Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang province and stands on several terraces connected by stone staircases. The compound includes wooden halls with curved roofs and two stone pagodas standing in the courtyards between the buildings.

The sanctuary arose in the middle of the 8th century under the rule of the Silla Dynasty and served as an important place for Buddhist practices in the Korean kingdom at that time. The compound was destroyed by fire several times over the centuries and then rebuilt while the stone structures from the founding period remained.

Worshippers remove their shoes before entering the wooden halls today and monks still hold morning ceremonies inside the main structures. The name translates as Temple of the Buddha Land and refers to the idea of a world beyond suffering where the sacred appears.

Visitors reach the site by public buses from central Gyeongju and should bring comfortable shoes for the stairs and uneven paths. The compound is best explored in the early morning or late afternoon when fewer tour groups are present.

The two stone bridges at the entrance use granite cut so precisely that the blocks hold together without mortar. Seokgatap the simpler of the two pagodas shows a classic three-tier form while Dabotap has a more complex design with columns and an octagonal base.