Palsangjeon, Buddhist temple at Songnisan National Park, South Korea
Palsangjeon is a wooden pagoda temple at Beopjusa Temple in Songnisan National Park. The structure stands 22.7 meters tall on a stone platform with entrances facing all four cardinal directions and houses four Buddha statues along with 500 small white figures.
The original structure was built in 553, but was destroyed during the Seven Year War and reconstructed in 1605. Workers maintained the original design during this rebuilding, preserving the form visitors see today.
The hall contains murals that show eight key moments from Buddha's life, beginning with his birth and moving through his enlightenment to his final entry into Nirvana. Visitors walking through the space encounter these painted scenes as a visual teaching of Buddhism's core story.
The temple sits within Songnisan National Park and is best reached by public transportation departing from major train stations. The grounds are easy to explore on foot, and there is ample time to walk around and examine the structures and interior spaces.
The temple is one of only two wooden pagodas remaining in South Korea, making it a rare survivor of this ancient building method. This rarity draws visitors who want to understand traditional Korean architecture and construction.
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