Bonghwa Bukji-ri Cliff-Carved Seated Buddha

About this place

The Bonghwa Bukji-ri Cliff-Carved Seated Buddha was created by cutting a large room-shaped niche into a natural rock face and carving within it a 4.3 m high relief Buddha in high relief. The broad, large face is full of volume and bears a gentle smile across the entire front, giving the figure a vivid, imposing presence. The shoulders are somewhat hunched, but the physique is dignified. The robe draped over both shoulders forms bold U-shaped folds at the chest and extends long down both arms to cover the pedestal on which the Buddha sits. The hand gesture shows the right hand raised to the chest and the left hand lowered to the knee, both rendered on a large scale that adds to the statue's majestic air. The halo behind the statue is divided into head halo and body halo, with small Buddhas depicted throughout, and an elaborate lotus petal pattern carved at the center of the head halo. The statue is estimated to date from the latter half of the 7th century based on the gentle modeling of the face and body. Together with the Yeongju Gaheungdong Cliff-Carved Buddha Trinity and Seated Buddha (National Treasure), it represents the sculptural style of the Yeongju-Bonghwa region in this period and has left a monumental mark in the history of Silla Buddhist sculpture.