Gwangheungsa Temple (Andong)

About this place

Gwangheungsa Temple is said to have been founded by the great monk Uisang during the reign of Silla King Sinmun (681–691). Buddhist scripture printing was particularly active during the early Joseon period, and the temple is a historically significant site in the Andong region with well-preserved records including a bronze bell made in 1573, documents from the 17th–18th centuries, and texts such as the Record of Rebuilding Gwangheungsa, the Collected Works of Master Yawoon, the Collected Works of Hamhongdang, and the Preface to the Record of Departed Spirits at Eungjinjeon of Gwangheungsa. Originally one of the grandest temples in Andong, a great fire in 1964 destroyed the main hall (Daewungjeon), and the Geuknakjeon collapsed in 1954, followed by the Hakseru and the main building in 1962; today the Eungjinjeon, formerly a secondary hall, enshrines a Shakyamuni Buddha. The Andong Gwangheungsa Eungjinjeon was designated a national treasure on November 13, 2025. The five-honored Buddha ensemble enshrined in the Eungjinjeon and the wooden Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva trio in the Myeongbu-jeon are designated Gyeongsangbuk-do tangible cultural heritage. A 400-year-old ginkgo tree behind the main gate is one of Andong's most celebrated autumn foliage spots.