Tapgok Rock-carved Buddha Group, Namsan, Gyeongju

About this place

This area on Namsan in Gyeongju was the site of a temple called Sininsа during the Unified Silla period. Traces of wooden structures remain on the large rock to the south, and scattered pagoda fragments suggest that the southern face Buddha served as the main enshrined figure in a south-facing temple. On the large square rock measuring about 9 meters in height, various Buddhas are depicted in a painterly manner. On the south face, a triad and an independent bodhisattva are placed; the east face also depicts Buddhas, bodhisattvas, a monk, and apsara figures. The Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and others are all equipped with lotus-patterned pedestals and halos radiating from the whole body, each in a different pose and expression. The apsaras fly through the sky and the monk assumes an offering posture toward the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, but all are severely weathered and detailed carving techniques are indiscernible. On the west face are two bodhi trees — the tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment — and a Tathagata image. Carving such diverse figures — Buddhas, apsaras, bodhisattvas, monks, and pagodas — with such devotion on a single rock face clearly reflects the artisan's intention to depict the Buddhist world. While the carving style is considerably schematized, the picturesque arrangement of elaborate carvings is unique in Korea.