Difference between revisions of "Korean sacred sites"

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[[File:Myeongseongsan.jpg|400px|left|]]
 
[[File:Myeongseongsan.jpg|400px|left|]]
 
Myeongseongsan is a mountain in South Korea. Its area extends across the city of Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do and Cheorwon County, Gangwon-do. It has an elevation of 922.6 m (3,027 ft).(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeongseongsan)
 
Myeongseongsan is a mountain in South Korea. Its area extends across the city of Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do and Cheorwon County, Gangwon-do. It has an elevation of 922.6 m (3,027 ft).(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeongseongsan)
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Myeongseong is a mountain near Seoul with historic ghosts. This was the location of the last stand of Gung Ye, the ruler of a short-lived Korean kingdom (901-918) who died while fighting to protect his state from crumbling.
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Born as a member of the Silla royal family, at one point he was a captive of the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to 14th centuries.
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Gung Ye eventually made himself a king in 901 and named his state Later Goguryeo. But Wang Geon, the founder of Goryeo, tracked him to this mountain after Gung Ye lost a major battle. Legend has it that the sound of Gung Ye lamenting his defeat was heard across the mountain.
  
 
Coordinates: 38° 6′ 25.08″ N, 127° 20′ 15.81″ E<br clear="all" />
 
Coordinates: 38° 6′ 25.08″ N, 127° 20′ 15.81″ E<br clear="all" />

Revision as of 17:36, 7 March 2012

This page for now contains photos of Korean sacred locations, with preparatory descriptions of the sites.

Baekdusan

Baitou Mountain Tianchi.jpg

This is a lake near the top of the highest mountain on the Korean peninsula and Manchuria.

The lake and mountain top are considered sacred. I learned about this mountain from an ancient Korean king who once united all the tribes on the peninsula ca. 8000 years ago (of course, he's in spirit world now, his name is Chin Yang). For them this mountain was the center and origin of Korea and connected to 12 other sacred places, one of them being Chung Pyung.

Information from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baekdu_Mountain Baekdu Mountain, also known as Changbai Mountain in China, is a volcanic mountain on the border between North Korea and China, located at 42°00′24″N 128°03′18″E / 42.00667°N 128.055°E / 42.00667; 128.055. At 2,744 m (9,003 ft), it is the highest mountain of the Changbai mountain range to the north and Baekdudaegan mountain range to the south. It is also the highest mountain on the Korean peninsula and Manchuria.

The Korean name, Baekdu-san (백두산, 白頭山; Korean pronunciation: [pɛk̚t͈usan]), means "white-headed mountain". The Chinese name, Changbai Shan (長白山/长白山), means "ever-white mountain". English-language volcanology resources often refer to the mountain as Baitoushan from the Chinese pinyin rendering of the Korean Hanja 白頭山. Other alternative names include Paektu-san and Bai Yun Feng.

A large crater lake, called Heaven Lake (Korean:천지, Chinese:天池), is located within the caldera atop the mountain.

The Baekdu Mountain has been worshipped by the surrounding peoples throughout history. Both the Koreans and Manchus (an ethnic group in China) consider it the place of their ancestral origin.

Location: 42° 0′ 20″ N, 128° 3′ 19″ E

Chung Pyung

Center: Original Palace, on Unification Church Holy Ground

Read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chungpyung

Coordinates: 37°41'34.08"N, 127°31'14.14"E

Haeinsa

Korea-Haeinsa-07.jpg

Haeinsa (해인사, 海印寺: Temple of Reflection on a Smooth Sea) is a head temple of the Jogye Order (대한불교조계종, 大韓佛敎 曹溪宗) of Korean Buddhism in the Gaya Mountains (가야산, 伽倻山), South Gyeongsang Province South Korea. Haeinsa is most notable for being the home of the Tripitaka Koreana, the whole of the Buddhist Scriptures carved onto 81,258 wooden printing blocks, which it has housed since 1398.

Haeinsa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, and represents Dharma or the Buddha’s teachings. It is still an active Seon (선, 禪) practice center in modern times, and was the home temple of the influential Rev. Seongcheol (성철, 性徹) , who died in 1993. (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haeinsa)

Coordinates: 35° 48′ 0″ N, 128° 6′ 0″ E

Hallasan

Hallasan.jpg

Hallasan is a shield volcano on Jeju Island of South Korea. Hallasan is the highest mountain of South Korea. The area around the mountain is a designated national park, the Hallasan National Park (Hallasan Gungnip Gongwon/한라산국립공원/漢拏山國立公園). Hallasan is commonly considered to be one of the three main mountains of South Korea, with Jirisan and Seoraksan being the other two.

The mountain is home to Gwaneumsa, the oldest Buddhist temple on the island. The temple was originally built during the Goryeo Dynasty. Like many other temples in Korea, Gwaneumsa was destroyed and rebuilt in the 20th century. There is a memorial site outside the temple, remembering the victims of the Jeju uprising that took place between 1948 and 1950. It is one of the most visited places of the island. (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallasan)

Coordinates: 33° 22′ 0″ N, 126° 32′ 0″ E

Jirisan

Korea-Mountain-Jirisan-15.jpg

Jirisan is a mountain in the southern region of South Korea. It is often considered one of the three most important mountains in South Korea (the mainland highest point), with Hallasan and Seoraksan being the other two. The mountain rises to 1915 metres above sea level and is located in a designated national park of the same name. Jirisan National Park spans three provinces: North, South Jeolla and South Gyeongsang and is the largest in Korea. The largest proportion of the national park is in the province of South Gyeongsang. The highest peak of the mountain, Cheonhwangbong is also located in this province. Another well-known peak is Samshin-bong (Three Spirits Peak).

Jirisan is considered the southern end of the Sobaek mountain range, and therefore also the southern end of the Baekdudaegan mountain range, the "spine" of the Korean Peninsula incorporating the Sobaek mountain range and most of the Taebaek mountain range. There are seven Buddhist temples on Jirisan that are considered major Buddhist temples. Hwaeomsa is the largest and best-known temple among these, and contains a number of national treasures (mostly stone artworks from about 600–900 CE). The mountain is also home to the Cheonghak-dong (Azure Crane Village) alpine valley, which includes the Samseong-gung (Three Sages Palace), which is a recently-developed site to celebrate one of Korea's foundation myths. (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jirisan)

Coordinates: 35° 20′ 0″ N, 127° 43′ 0″ E

Myeongseongsan

Myeongseongsan.jpg

Myeongseongsan is a mountain in South Korea. Its area extends across the city of Pocheon, Gyeonggi-do and Cheorwon County, Gangwon-do. It has an elevation of 922.6 m (3,027 ft).(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myeongseongsan)

Myeongseong is a mountain near Seoul with historic ghosts. This was the location of the last stand of Gung Ye, the ruler of a short-lived Korean kingdom (901-918) who died while fighting to protect his state from crumbling.

Born as a member of the Silla royal family, at one point he was a captive of the founder of the Goryeo Dynasty, which ruled Korea from the 10th to 14th centuries.

Gung Ye eventually made himself a king in 901 and named his state Later Goguryeo. But Wang Geon, the founder of Goryeo, tracked him to this mountain after Gung Ye lost a major battle. Legend has it that the sound of Gung Ye lamenting his defeat was heard across the mountain.

Coordinates: 38° 6′ 25.08″ N, 127° 20′ 15.81″ E

Namsan

Korea-Gyeongju-Namsan-Chilbulam-01.jpg

Namsan (남산, "South Mountain") is a 494-meter peak in the heart of Gyeongju National Park, just south of Gyeongju, South Korea. The mountain is within easy reach from the city and attracts a large number of national tourists. Namsan covers an area of about 8 km (north-south) by 12 km (east-west). Some 180 peaks are counted, of which Geumobong (468 m) and Gouibong (495 m) are the best-known. There are about 40 valleys.

Namsan is home to many remains from the Silla period, including some tombs of Silla rulers. There are hundreds of remains scattered around the mountain. Poseokjeong is one of the most famous of these sites, lying at the foot of Namsan. Other remains include Korean Buddhist art, sculptures, about 80 carved reliefs, about 60 stone pagodas and remains of about 100 temples and palaces mostly built between the 7th and 10th century. 12 of these relicts are designated national treasures. (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namsan_%28Gyeongju%29)

Coordinates: 35°48'3.49"N, 129°13'35.22"E

Kŭmgangsan

Kumgangsan-11.jpg

Kŭmgangsan (Korean pronunciation: [kɯmɡaŋsan]) or Mount Kŭmgang is one of the best-known mountains in North Korea.[1] It has a height of 1638 metres and is located on the east coast of the country, in Kŭmgangsan Tourist Region, formerly part of Kangwŏn Province (38.58N, 128.17E). Kŭmgangsan is part of the Taebaek mountain range which runs along the east of the Korean peninsula. The name means Diamond Mountain.

There are many old temples around Kŭmgangsan, some in poor condition. Among the best known are Changan-sa and Maha-yon. (from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumgangsan)

Coordinates: 38°31'34.00"N, 128° 3'6.00"E

Seoraksan

Korea Seoraksan.jpg

Seoraksan is the highest mountain in the Taebaek mountain range (태백산맥) in the Gangwon province in eastern South Korea. It is located in a national park near the city of Sokcho. After the Hallasan volcano on Jeju Island and Jirisan in the south, Seoraksan is the third highest mountain in South Korea. The Daechongbong Peak (대청봉) of Seoraksan reaches 1,708 metres (5,603 feet). The Taebaek mountain chain is often considered the backbone of the Korean peninsula.

According to the legend Ulsanbawi comes from the city of Ulsan in the south east of Korea. As Kumgangsan (금강산) was built, Ulsanbawi walked to the north as the representative of the city. Unfortunately Ulsanbawi arrived too late and there was no more room. Ulsanbawi was ashamed and slowly trudged back to the south. One evening the rock went to sleep in the Seorak area. Ulsanbawi felt it was so beautiful around there that it decided to stay for good. (From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seoraksan)

Coordinates: 37° 45′ 0″ N, 128° 29′ 0″ E