Haeunsa (Gumi)

About this place

Geumosan, a renowned mountain of the Yeongnam region, is dotted throughout with relics and temples entwined with legends and anecdotes, drawing visitors in every season. The mountain's original name was Daebonsan, and it was also called Namsungsan because it was considered in no way inferior to Songshan, one of China's Five Great Mountains. The name Geumo is said to come from the monk Ado, who while passing here saw a golden crow flying into the sunset glow, the Geumo (金烏) said to dwell within the sun, and so called it the mountain that received the sun's essence. Halfway up Geumosan sits Haeunsa, where even the clouds pause to rest. Haeunsa is said to have been founded under the name Daehyeolsa by Doseon (827-898) at the end of the Silla period. However, all of its buildings burned down during the Imjin War and it lay abandoned for a long time until the monk Cheolha restored it in 1925, at which time the temple was renamed Haeunam. In 1956 the main hall (Daeungjeon) was newly built, and as Buddhist works continued steadily thereafter, the temple's name was again changed to Haeunsa. Right above Haeunsa lies Doseongul Cave, its great mouth gaping toward the city of Gumi. At the end of the Goryeo period, Gil Jae (1353-1419) secluded himself in this temple and the cave behind it to study Neo-Confucian learning. When Goryeo fell, he withdrew to Geumosan in Haepyeong-myeon, Seonsan-gun, his hometown, to devote himself to study and later became a cornerstone of the Yeongnam School. Judging from the Buddhist sites scattered across Geumosan, such as Yaksaam and the rock-carved standing Bodhisattva, one can imagine how extensive its Buddhist activity once was. It is a one-hour walk from the parking lot to Haeunsa, but the Geumosan cable car has now opened, with its arrival point connected to Haeunsa, making access easy.