World Heritage

From Korea's Heritage to Humanity's Heritage ... 5 Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple ... 16

Korea's Precious Gifts to the World Community ... 10 Epitome of Sill a's Divine Buddhist Art Tripitaka Depository at Haeinsa Temple ... 28 Chall enge to Modern Conservation Science

The Royal Ancestral Shrine of the Joseon Dynasty ... 40 The Solemn Depth That Transcends Life and Death

Changdeok Palace .. . 52 Contact Info .. . 196 Aesthetics of Harmony with Nature References ... 200 Hwaseong Fortress ... 64 Joscon King's New Architectural Experiment

Gyeongju Historic Areas ... 78 Legacies of a Brilliant Cul tural Flowering

Dolmens in Gochang, Hwasw1 and Ganghwa ... 90 Key to Bronze Age Culture on the Korean Peninsul a

Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes ... 102 A Spectacular Geologica l Museum

Royal Tombs ofthe Joseon Dynasty ... 114 A Glimpse into SOD -yea r History of Confucian Monarchy

Historic Villages of Hahoe and Yangdong .. . 128 Illustrious Traditions Imbued with Confucian Order Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity Memory of the World

Royal Ancestral Ceremony at Jongmyo ... 144 Hunmin Jeongeum .. . 178 Stately Ritual Invokes Peace and Prosperity The Korean Alphabet Earns Global Recognition

The Pansori Epic Chants ... 147 The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty ... 180 Passionate and M ournful: The Root of Korea n M usic Korean Palace Records Enrich World History

The Dano Festival of Gangneung ... 150 Anthology of Great Buddhist Priests' Zen Teachings Jubilant Recrea tion and Holy Rituals ... 182 Women's Circle Dance ... 153 The Oldest Book Printed with Movable Metal Type

Ganggangsullae Enj oyed under th e Fu ll M oon The Diaries of the Royal Secretariat ... 184 Marvelous Feats of the Namsadang Clowns ... 156 Breath of History Comes Alive with Rigorous Fidelity

Vagabond Tro upes Entertained Commoners Royal Protocols of the Joseon Dynasty ... 186 The Rites of Vulture Peak ... 159 Uigwe Document Details of State Events

Yeol1gsanjae Guides to the Way of the Buddha Printing Woodblocks for Tl'ipitaka Koreana and Yeongdeung Rites for the Goddess of Wind ... 162 Miscellaneous Buddhist Scriptures ... 188 ]eju Islanders Pray for Pl entiful Sea Catch Still in Fresh Relief after a Thousand Years

The Dance of Cheoyong ... 165 Principles and Practices of Eastern Medicine ... 190 Talismanic Dance Incorporates Cosmic Energies East Asia's Prized Medical Encyclopedia

Slow Lyrical Songs of Poetry ... 168 The Records of Daily Reflections (Ilseongnok) .. . 192

Gagok for Entertaimnent of Hermit Sages From the King's Personal Journal to State Chronicle

T he Living Tradition of Falconry ... 171 Human Rights Documentary Heritage 1980 Archives Like a Fl ying Arrow the Falcon Snatches its Prey ... 194

Master Carpenter with Superb Expertise ... 174 Records of the May 18 Democratic Uprising in Gwangju Daemokjang Leads Wooden Architecture Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

Tripitaka Depository at Haeinsa Temple

The Royal Ancestral Shrine of the J oseon Dynasty

Changdeok Palace

Hwaseong Fortress

Gyeongju Historic Areas

Dolmens in Gochang, Hwasun and Ganghwa

Jeju Volcanic Island and Lava Tubes

Royal Tombs of the Joseon Dynasty

Historic Villages of Hahoe and Yangdong

World Heritage Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple ' 1995

The Buddha in the main rotunda of Seokguram as viewed from the antechamber. The rectangular antechamber has guardian deities, while the circular main hall enshrines the Buddha along with various bodhisattvas, arhats and Hindu gods.

16 - -- Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple

Epitome of Silla's Divine Buddhist Art

Tn December 2000, UNESCO added Gyeongju, the old capital of th e Silla Kingdom (57 B. C.-A .D. 935), to its World H eritage List, designating five areas that contain a total of 52 officiall y recogni zed cultural properties of Korea. H owever, the two most prominent sites of Gyeongju, Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple, were not included among the monuments and relics achieving UNESCO's highly coveted inscription. In fact, they had already been inscribed in 1995.

Seokguram: World of Eternity beyond the Human Realm

Overl ooking the East Sea beyond mo untain ridges from the southeastern tip of the Korean peninsula, Seokguram lies 565 meters above sea level near the summit of M t. Toham. The cave chapel was ori ginally built as a hermitage affiliated with a temple named Seokbulsa in accordance with the wishes of Kim Dae-seong, a state council or during the reign of King Gyeongdeok of Sill a. Its construction began in 751 and was completed in 774 under the reign of King Hyegong. The temple became dilapidated due to poor management in modern times bu t the hermitage has survived with its sublime beauty and profound reli gious symbolism.

17 World Heritage Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Tem ple ' 1995

Seokguram literally mea ns "stone cave hermitage." Unlike most other ancient cave temples in Asia, which were formed by nature or dug into hillsides and carved on rocks, Seokguram is a man-made grotto built of some 360 granite pieces and covered with earth. Cave shr ines originated in India and became popular in the Dunhuang and Yungang regions of China before rea ching Korea, where they attained a new level of development. The interior of Seokguram consists of a circular main chamber, or r ear chamber, w ith a dome ceiling, a rectangul ar antechamber and a corridor connecting the two chambers. T he floor design refl ects the ancient vi ew of the universe that heaven was round and earth was square. It is reminiscent of the ancient burial mounds of the Silla royalty with a square front and round back, which are also known as keyhole-shaped tombs. The undisputed centerpiece of Seokguram is the majesti c Buddha in the circul ar main hall. A serene but powerful image epitomizing the aestheticism of Korean Buddhist sculpture, it envisages Sakyamuni, the Historic Buddha, at the moment he achieved enlightenment overcoming all obstacles and temptations. T he 3 .5-meter-high Buddha is seated cross-legged on a lotus throne placed slightly toward the back from the center of the main rotunda, granting more space in front o f him. H e wears a fa int, all -knowing smil e with h alf-closed eyes in deep meditation. W ith a bea utifully proportioned body and a robe with expressive fluid folds, the Buddha has his left hand in dhyanamudra, or the mudra of concentration, with the palm fa cing upward nea r the abdomen, and his right hand in bhu111 isparsamudm, or the earth-touching mudra, extended straight downward to call the earth as witness to his victory over the demon king Mara. A large granite roundel adorned with lotus petals around the rim is set on the wall about one meter apart behind the Buddha, creating the illusion of an aureole aro und his head. This nimbus is uniquely separated from the Buddha. When worshippers at the foot of the Buddha look up, they can see a perfect circle formed by lotus petals with those petals on the upper part of the roundel appearing larger than the petals near the bottom. The main rotunda has a dome ceiling of intricately assembled square stone blocks, a wonder to modern architecture. As in a ll other parts of the grotto, no mortar was used. The stones are held together by stone rivets, which protrude to make the ceiling surface uneven, creating the illusion of depth in an attempt to emulate the vastness of cosmic space.

18 - - - The ma in Buddha of Seokguram wears a serene, all-knowing smile, with his eyes half-closed in deep meditation. The majestic Buddha represents the aesthetic realization of Buddhist ideals.

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