Anheungsa (Gyeongsan)

About this place

Anheungsa in Gyeongsan is a branch temple of Eunhaesa, the head temple of the 10th diocese of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is said to have been founded during the Silla period, but there are no documentary records of the exact date of its founding, and it is presumed to have been established in 1628 (the 6th year of King Injo). In 1904 (the 8th year of King Gojong), the Great Monk Hobo rebuilt it, and it maintained its status until the Japanese colonial period. However, its temple buildings were destroyed during the Korean War, so it was relocated to Baekcheon-dong, Gyeongsan, and then moved again in 1965 to Samnam-dong, Gyeongsan. Unable to sustain itself there, in March 1971 it was moved to its present location in Sangbang-dong, Gyeongsan, where a small hall was built, and it has remained there to this day. In 1994, the Daejeokgwangjeon Hall was built, and in 2002 the seated stone statue of Vairocana Buddha was regilded. Recently, a Gyeongsan Buddhist center was newly constructed, and the temple has taken the lead in propagating Buddhism by making use of cultural and educational spaces for the faithful; it has also held small concerts for multicultural families and foreign workers.