A Study on the Establishment and Characteristics of Buddhist Monuments at Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju

Abstract

It is reported that there are about 150 Buddhist Monuments in Namsan, Gyeongju. The Buddhist Monuments in Namsan mountain began to be constructed from the north of the mountain, which is close to the center of the Silla capital. The early Buddhist Monuments were located near moving roads or traffic routes and their density was not high. However, many pagodas were distributed at close distances within a valley after the second half of the 8<sup>th</sup> century and they show well the characteristics of the Buddhist Monuments in Namsan mountain.</br>The Buddhist Monuments in Namsan mountain are not a place where many can stay for a long time. Nevertheless, the reason why many small-scaled Buddhist sites were able to be distributed in the mountain was because of the nature of the sites as a place of dhyana practice. In the Silla Dynasty, building pagodas and Buddhist statues were one of the greatest acts of practitioners to accumulate merits. Namsan mountain, where huge rock walls and strange-shaped rocks were exposed, was the best place to build up their virtues. Stories and images of monks related to Namsan mountain in ‘<i>Samgukyusa</i> – the history of the Three Kingdoms’ can be found as an aspect of Namsan mountain for a place of dhyana practice.</br>Three things could have led to the Establishment of place of dhyana practice in Namsan mountain. First, the mountain is located close to the center of the capital of Silla. Second, the natural environment as a stone mountain led people to accumulate virtues by building pagodas and Buddhist statues. Lastly, people could dhyana practice by being separated from the world in the mountain. However, these Buddhist sites in Namsan mountain were not completely separated from the temples in the capital. In other words, temples of the capital and places for dhyana practices in Namsan mountain were in a close relationship. Their relationship could be understood from the story of Chungdamsa monk in the <i>Samgukyusa</i>.