Girimsa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea

Girimsa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea

437-4, Girim-ro, Munmudaewang-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea

Driving from Gyeongju's Bomun Tourist Complex toward Gampo on the East Sea coast — where the great underwater tomb of King Munmu and the ruins of Gameunsa Temple stand — one eventually crosses over Tohamsan and arrives in Yangbuk-myeon. Turning in the direction of Pohang from there, you will find Girimsa Temple. Though I have visited Gyeongju many times, Girimsa sits on the far side of Tohamsan and is difficult to reach by public transportation. Tucked behind the mountain and overshadowed by the grandeur of Bulguksa, it remains largely unknown to the general public. Girimsa is said to have been founded in 634 AD, the twelfth year of Queen Seondeok of Silla, by the Indian monk Gwangyu under the name Imjeongsa, and was later rebuilt and renamed Girimsa by the great monk Wonhyo.

As recently as the fourteenth year of King Cheoljong in the late Joseon period, the temple encompassed as many as 113 rooms, but it was devastated by fire and has been rebuilt several times to reach its present state. At the heart of the temple, set deep within its grounds, stands the Daejeokgwangjeon — the oldest structure at Girimsa and a representative example of late Joseon wooden architecture, designated Treasure No. 833. Built in the dapo style of the early seventeenth century with a gabled roof, it is a building of considerable scale, spanning five bays across the front and three bays deep. What makes the Daejeokgwangjeon particularly intriguing is its unusual placement within the complex: unlike the main halls of most temples, it does not occupy the central axis, but instead sits tucked toward the right, one terrace lower than the surrounding buildings on the sloping grounds.

Perhaps it is this unconventional layout that gave the temple grounds such an air of mystery as dusk settled in during my visit. Unfamiliar with the arrangement, I followed the usual path through the iljumun gate and after a few steps found myself looking through a gap between buildings at what appeared to be a square inner courtyard. Stepping into it, I came face to face with the front façade of the Daejeokgwangjeon. By then the hall's roof tiles and eaves had already faded to black in the gathering dark, and the architectural details were lost to the failing light — but inside, candlelight cast a brilliant golden glow over the Buddha statue, luminous against the surrounding darkness. With the world outside grown dim, the latticework of the hall's windows and the gilded figure within shone all the more radiantly.

Gyeongju and its surroundings are so densely packed with celebrated cultural heritage that most sites struggle to stand out. Bulguksa and Seokguram on the other side of Tohamsan are counted among Korea's greatest treasures, which only adds to Girimsa's obscurity — compounded by the inconvenience of getting there without a car. Yet even without any knowledge of its history, Girimsa possesses all the qualities that make Korean Buddhist temples so beautiful. A handful of newly built structures on the upper terrace above the Daejeokgwangjeon do somewhat disrupt the atmosphere, but the quiet dignity of the old wooden buildings on the lower level more than holds its own. This is Girimsa — a thousand-year-old temple whose presence speaks for itself.

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