Gyeongju Baeban-dong Stone Standing Triad Buddha

About this place

These three stone Buddhist figures were scattered across the slopes of Mt. Namsan in Gyeongju and were gathered and reassembled at the present site in 1923. Because all three share the same basic style, they appear to have originally been worshipped together as a triad. The central main Buddha has a double-tiered topknot (ushnisha), an unusually smooth surface, and a rounded face with a full-cheeked, childlike expression — round eyebrows, downcast eyes, a closed mouth, deep dimples, and plump cheeks conveying a warm, compassionate Buddha-nature. The cylindrical torso, with no discernible neck, features large hands: the left lowered and the right raised. The heavy drapery gives an overall sense of rigidity, yet the childlike face and form lend the image a vivid, warm vitality. The left bodhisattva wears a crown, smiles broadly, and twists its slender waist for a three-dimensional effect; holding a treasure vase in the lowered left hand and placing the right on the chest, it is identifiable as Avalokitesvara (Gwaneum) by the small Buddha depicted on the crown. The right bodhisattva likewise radiates a gentle inner smile, its body richly adorned with heavy necklaces and bead ornaments from neck to ankles. The skilled carving of these warm, human faces is considered a masterpiece of 7th-century Silla Buddhist sculpture.