Sangwonsa Temple, Pyeongchang, South Korea

Sangwonsa Temple, Pyeongchang, South Korea

1211-14, Odaesan-ro, Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun, Gangwon-do, Republic of Korea

Nestled deep in the mountains of Odaesan, Sangwonsa Temple falls within the administrative jurisdiction of Jinbu-myeon, Pyeongchang-gun. As a sub-temple of the nearby Woljeongsa Temple, Sangwonsa is the only temple in Korea dedicated to Manjushri Bodhisattva, and together with the adjacent Jeongmyeol Bogung Shrine, it is renowned as one of Buddhism's most sacred sites. Until just a few years ago, visitors had to travel nearly an hour along an unpaved road from Woljeongsa to reach it; today, that road is fully paved and city buses run directly to the temple entrance from downtown Pyeongchang.

Sangwonsa, too, traces its origins back a thousand years. In the fourth year of King Seongdeok of Silla (705 AD), a hall called Jinyeowon was founded on the present site of Sangwonsa, and a statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva was enshrined within it. This marks the temple's beginning. It underwent numerous restorations over the centuries, and a famous legend survives from the reign of Sejo, the seventh king of Joseon, who prayed here and is said to have encountered Manjushri Bodhisattva, who cured him of a skin ailment. It is told that Sejo himself wrote a letter of appeal for donations, expanded Jinyeowon, and renamed it Sangwonsa. During the Korean War, the monk Banghan-am protected the temple from the devastation of battle; he resided here for thirty years until his passing at this very site in 1951.

At the bus stop along the well-paved road stands a mushroom-shaped clothing rack — the very one on which King Sejo is said to have hung his robes while bathing. From there, climbing a steep flight of stairs for roughly 100 to 200 meters brings one to the temple grounds. Situated near the summit of Odaesan, the complex is entirely surrounded by the mountain's peaks, yet the feeling is one of openness rather than enclosure. As the mind wanders to imagining the spectacle of snow blanketing every peak in winter, one turns to discover a bronze bell on display before the temple buildings.

It is a replica of Sangwonsa's bronze bell — perhaps more famous than the temple itself. Designated National Treasure No. 36, the Sangwonsa Bronze Bell is the oldest surviving bell in Korea, cast during the Unified Silla period. It predates the Silla Great Bell of King Seongdeok, housed at the Gyeongju National Museum and celebrated as the largest and most beautiful bell in the country, by forty-five years — having been cast in the twenty-fourth year of King Seongdeok's reign and transferred to Sangwonsa in the first year of King Yejong of Joseon (1469). Even those unfamiliar with Sangwonsa Temple will likely recall the Sangwonsa Bronze Bell from their school history lessons.

Situated just below Birorobong Peak of Odaesan, Sangwonsa enshrines the sacred relics of the Buddha at Jeongmyeol Bogung and therefore maintains no main worship hall of its own; in its place stands the Yeongsanjeon Hall. The temple's stupa field, bathed in sunlight at this mountain elevation, strikes a markedly different impression from those at other temples. At the far end of the Yeongsanjeon, a gift shop and visitor facilities have been thoughtfully incorporated without disrupting the atmosphere of the grounds — their roofs laid with wooden shingles that evoke the distinctive character of Gangwon Province. It is a fine demonstration that even when modern amenities are introduced to ancient heritage sites, a measure of sensitivity in design can serve its purpose without compromising the integrity of the whole.

If you would like to experience a unique side of Korea, the "Land of the Morning Calm," please feel free to reach out. I host small, private guided tours tailored for international visitors.

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