Cheongamsa Temple, Buddhist temple site in Gimcheon, South Korea.
Cheongamsa Temple is a Jogye Order Buddhist temple on the northern slope of Mount Bullyeong in Pyeongchon-ri, Jeungsan-myeon, Gimcheon. Its main buildings are the Daeungjeon hall, listed as Gyeongsangbuk-do Cultural Heritage Material No. 120, and the Geungnakjeon hall; the multi-story stone pagoda in front of Daeungjeon is No. 121. A stream flows through the grounds, and the temple operates the Cheongamsa Seungga Daehak, a Buddhist nuns' college founded in 1987.
Founded in 859 by Doseon-guksa, the temple burned to the ground in 1647 and again in 1782, and was rebuilt only in 1897. It was abandoned in 1897, reopened in the early 1900s with the restoration of the Geungnakjeon, and burned again in 1911; the abbot Daeeun rebuilt it the following year. Queen Inhyeon stayed here after her 1689 deposition, and from 1987 it has housed a bhikkhuni monastic college.
The temple's name means "Blue Rock Temple," after the moss colouring the rocks of the nearby ravine through which a stream runs. Queen Inhyeon stayed here after being stripped of her title in 1689, and until the late Joseon period court ladies came down to make offerings. Since 1987 it has been a nunnery, home to about 150 nuns.
The temple sits at the base of a mountain with natural pathways throughout the complex, organized by the flowing stream. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes and allow time to explore the different areas at a comfortable pace.
The temple name means "Green Rock Temple," taken from the colour of moss on the rocks of the nearby ravine through which a stream runs. Queen Inhyeon stayed here after her 1689 deposition, in the Nambyeoldang building, and the mountain forest around the temple was designated a national protected forest.
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