Visit A Temple in Taebaek: Mandeoksa

While I tend to save temple visiting to spring in Korea due to how beautiful they are with the lanterns hung in celebration of Buddha’s birthday, I don’t just pass them by if I have the time and it’s not spring.

While we were in Taebaek for the beautiful Taebaek Snow Festival, I spotted a temple nearby. Since we were spending the day in the area, we decided to stop into Mandeoksa (만덕사). The golden statues at the entrance were beckoning and we couldn’t say no. Wondering what to see in Taebaek? Or want to do more when you head to the area for winter fun? Maybe a temple stop will make your itinerary like it did ours.

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How To Get There

Located on the foothills of the Taebaeksan Mountain at the entrance to the Taebaeksan Provincial Park, you don’t have to hike to see this temple. Just walk across a little bridge and you’ll be able to enter easily.

Address: 196 Moongoksodo-dong Taebaek-si, Gangwon-do (강원도 태백시 문곡소도동 196)

By Public Transportation: You can take a bus from Dong Seoul Bus Terminal to Taebaek Bus Terminal. There’s an intercity bus that takes just over 3 hours. Alternatively, you could take the train from Cheonglyangli Station to Taebaek Station that takes just a bit over 3 hours either way. Just choose whichever option is closest to you.

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What To See

Not a large complex, with just three buildings, this temple is small but full of energy as the local visitors will tell you. When we visited, there were two tall golden statues that beckoned those in the area to come in for a visit. They could be seen from a ways down the mountain in the winter when the trees were bare and the only colors of the surroundings area were browns and the white of the snow.

The gold was striking. Looking at recent photos of the temple that others have posted, it seems these golden statues have been removed or moved though mysteriously. 

Climb the steps of the entrance to peer inside. The temple is open 24 hours a day every day of the year and sees visitors that are headed into the park to hike and enjoy the natural surroundings. The temple looked unique to me with those stairs leading up as most temples themselves don’t have the stairs, but are on mountains with stairs and are on the ground floor. This temple, however, rises above the landscape.

There is also a 7 layer stone pagoda in front of the entrance which is quite memorable. Take a closer look at the carvings that surround it before climbing the stairs to look inside. I couldn’t find terribly much on this temple, but it was a beautiful respite in the Taebaek Mountain range as we enjoyed the winter fun and snowy views.

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