Girimsa Temple

About this place

Girimsa Temple was founded during the reign of Silla Queen Seondeok. Originally called Imjeongsa, it was renamed Girimsa when the monk Wonhyo expanded the complex. The temple is broadly divided into two precincts: one housing the Daejeokgwangjeon (main hall, enshrining Vairocana Buddha) and a large bodhi tree over 500 years old, and the other containing the Sacred Treasures Museum (Seongbo Museum), Samseongak (shrine), Myeongbujeon (hall), and Gwaneumseon (hall). The Daejeokgwangjeon, the principal hall, is a single-storey dapo-style building with battered columns under a gabled roof, enshrining a triad of Buddhas of the early Joseon type. The Obaeknahangjeon (Hall of Five Hundred Arhats) stands to the west, with a three-storey stone pagoda directly in front. The Seongbo Museum holds many cultural treasures including a lacquered half-seated bodhisattva and a woodblock Buddhist text (both designated Treasures). Girimsa is also famous for its five-flavoured 'Ojongsu' springs: Gamno-su (sweet dew water, best for tea), Hwajeong-su (water that calms the mind), Janggun-su (water that builds a strong physique), Myeongan-su (water that clarifies eyesight), and Otak-su (water so clear that crows pecked at it). The temple also offers temple-stay programmes.