Beopjusa Temple: A Must See in Songnisan National Park
Situated in the Songnisan National Park in Chungcheongbuk-do lies one of the most beautiful Buddhist temple grounds in Korea. Home to Boeun Beopjusa Temple (보은 법주사), the temple is striking in large part thanks to the Golden Maitreya Statue of National Unification that looks over the beautifully colorful buildings. Looking for something to do in Chungcheongbuk-do? You’ll want to see this. Oh, and bonus, if you visit in the summer, you can see a beautiful lotus flower garden as well.
Learn more about Beopjusa Temple:
- How To Get There
- Basic Info
- The History of Beopjusa Temple
- What To See
- Templestay Program
- Where To Eat
- What To See Nearby
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How To Get There
Address: 405 Beopjusa-ro, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do (충청북도 보은군 속리산면 법주사로 405)
Directions: From Central City Bus Terminal, Dong Seoul Bus Terminal, or Seoul Nambu Bus Terminal, you can catch a bus to Songnisan Bus Terminal and walk or taxi from there.
On A Tour: To get the most out of a visit, go with a guide who can explain more in depth information about the temple and what you’re seeing. You can visit the Songnisan National Park and Beopjusa Temple on this Viator tour. There’s also a great one-day tour on kkday to Beopjusa Temple, the Lotus Blossom Cafe nearby and the Sonisan National Park.
Basic Info
Admission: Adults: W5,000; Children: W1,000
Hours: Sunrise – Sunset
The History of Beopjusa Temple
Originally built in 553, the 14th year of Silla King Jin Heung’s reign, it is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism and is one of the most popular sites in Chungcheongbuk-do for tourists.
The name of the temple translates to mean “The Place Where Buddha’s Teachings Reside Temple”. During the Goryeo Dynasty at its peak, this temple was home to 3,000 monks and some of the buildings from that time still remain in the complex today.
The temple originally had 60 buildings and 70 hermitages which, unfortunately, were burnt down during the Japanese invasions during the Imjin War in 1592. Rebuilt in 1624, there are still buildings in the complex that exist from that period including the must-see five-tiered wooden pagoda.
Beopjusa Temple has had a lot of support over the years, with a state-sponsored restoration in 1851 thanks to Prime Minister Gwon Don-in and this push continued under King Gojong in 1906. In 1964, President Park Chung Hee provided the financial means to construct a 29-meter tall cement statue of Mireuk-bul.
The funding continued in 1974 for further renovation and restoration and then in 1988, the bronze statue of Mireuk-bul replaced the cement statue and that’s what you can see today.
The grounds of the temple are beautiful and well cared for today making it a beautiful getaway into a national park in Korea.
What To See
Set at the base of Songnisan Mountain, the temple complex of Beopjusa Temple is gorgeous. The temple owns a number of cultural heritage items including three national treasures, twelve miscellaneous treasures, and twenty-one tangible cultural heritage items. When I visited, we had a guide who pointed out all of these items which made it much more meaningful.
One of the most beautiful aspects of the complex is the towering Golden Maitreya Statue of National Unification. The 33 meter tall, 150 ton bronze statue is “The Future Buddha”. This towering bronze statue was erected in 1988 to replace a twenty year old cement statue that stood in its place.
This statue is supposedly the largest free standing Buddha statue in Asia. There are 108 steps that lead up to the statue and you can also head into an underground prayer hall just beneath the statue as well.
Another must see in the complex is Palsangjeon believed to be the oldest and tallest pagoda in Korea. The pagoda is a 400 year old wooden pagoda and is believed to be the only wooden pagoda in Korea preserved in it’s original state. Look inside the pagoda and you will find 1,000 white miniature Buddha’s and four golden Buddha statues.
Templestay Program
In recent years, Beopjusa Temple has started providing a structured templestay program to meet the needs of both modern Buddhists and those interested in Korean Buddhism. A templestay program is a great way to experience and learn more about Buddhist culture in Korea. I highly recommend the experience.
The experience involves staying at the temple, an early morning chant with the monks under the early rising sun, meditation, a tea ceremony and the opportunity to learn how to eat in silence the way the Buddhist monks do.
- Templestay Facilities: For the templestay facilities, there are three traditionally looking buildings that have modern amenities inside. You’ll be sleeping on the floor, but there’s a nice clean bathroom and shower inside. Generally the rooms are set up to sleep either 4 people or 8 people together.
- Cost: For the daily templestay program: W35,000; Overnight templestay program: W70,000
- Reservations: Make a reservation for a Templestay program at Beopjusa Temple on the official TempleStay website.
Where To Eat
On the way out of temple, stop into 옛고을. This restaurant is just up the road and features an amazing array of side dishes to accompany the star of the show a mushroom stew. Vegetables are grown locally and are delicious.
- Address: 250 Beobjusa-ro, Sokrisan-myeon, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do (충북 보은군 속리산면 법주사로 250)
- Hours: Every day: 8:30am ~ 8:00pm
What To See Nearby
Lotus Blossom Cafe (로터스블라썸): Continue up the road just a couple minutes and you’ll come upon a gorgeously large lotus flower field… or is it pond? A cafe on the southern end is a great spot to get a coffee after lunch and then take a walk into the lotus flower fields. This was actually an impromptu stop that my group and I proposed to the leaders. How could anyone pass a beautiful place like this?
Obviously, this isn’t something you’ll see year round, but only in the summer when the lotus are big and beautiful.
- Address: 9-1 Sangpan-ri, Sokrisan-myeon, Boeun-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do (충청북도 보은군 속리산면 상판리 9-1)
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One Comment
Chanel
I came here many many years ago (maybe 2010?) for Children’s Day and I was in awe of the large Buddha. It was such a lovely place and I hope to get back one day!