Gounsa Pagoda is located on Deungunsan Mountain, attracting visitors thanks to the beautiful natural landscape and bringing peace in the soul when walking.
A series of forest fires broke out in Southeast Korea from last week, killing at least 18 people. More than 6,700 Korean firefighters are involved in extinguishing forest fires, nearly 2/5 of these are sent to Uiseong district of Gyeongsang North province, where the fire spreads the most. Gounsa Pagoda, a work over 1,300 years old in Uiseong district, was burned down.
“No more building is left in the temple campus,” said the monk Doryeon at Gounsa Pagoda.
Gounsa Pagoda is located on Deungunsan Mountain in Uiseong, Gyeongsangbuk-Do, and was built by monk Uisang in 681 under the reign of King Sinmun, Kingdom of Silla.
Before being destroyed, the pagoda was one of the tourist attractions in the province thanks to the beautiful landscape of Deungunsan Mountain, which means “riding in the clouds”. The pagoda is separate from the surrounding villages, is a quiet and peaceful place Visit Koreawebsite of the Korea Tourism General.
Initially, the name of the pagoda means “high clouds”. After the famous scholar of Silla Choi Chi Won built two more communal houses Gaunru and Uhwaru on the campus, the name of the temple was changed and kept until now, meaning “the poisonous cloud pagoda”.
Gounsa is the branch of the branch No. 16 of the Korean Buddhist sect, Joguyekong, and manages temples in Uiseong, Andong, Yeongju, Bonghwa, Yeongyang.
Gaunru Pavilion (floating in the clouds) is one of the famous architectural works, which are proud of many Koreans and visitors. The communal house consists of wood and rock columns, described as “elegant architecture”.
Among the many buildings that make up the temple complex, Yeonsujeon Hall is the next building that visitors love to visit. As a place to store Eocheop, the genealogy records of royal families since 1774, the building has a Confucian style architecture, different from the works in the temple.
The famous national heritage in the temple are gemstone Buddha statues and Shakyamuni Buddha’s picture. These two heritage have been relocated to a safe place before the fire broke out violently.
Commenting on Gounsa, many international visitors said that this place is not magnificent nor has the architecture so beautiful as many other religious destinations in the world. However, the pagoda still makes guests mark 5 stars thanks to the beautiful natural landscape, fresh air. The most beautiful time to visit the temple is the autumn of red leaves. “I always feel calm and relaxed in my soul when coming here,” a tourist shared Tripadvisor.
In addition to visiting the temple, tourists often visit the destinations in the region. Within a radius of 50 km are Grasswon Park, traditional culinary museum and Soju Andong Wine, Sinse-dong wallpaper village.