Wonheung Standing Stone Buddha

About this place

This is a massive standing stone Buddha, 4 m tall, housed inside the dharma hall of Wonheungsa Temple at the foot of Pagongsan Mountain in Mahwa-ri, Sanseo-myeon, Jangsu-gun. Originally left exposed in the open air, in 1904 a couple surnamed Lee living in the village had a dream and built a shrine to enshrine the statue; their daughter Cheongsin and grandson Kim Gwisu later erected the present Wonheungsa Temple. The face is plump with small eyes and mouth but a large nose. The neck is very short and the three throat lines (samdo) are indistinct. The body gives a somewhat blocky impression, with equal widths at the shoulders and lower trunk. The robe covers both shoulders but leaves the chest largely exposed, with formal drapery folds along the sleeves and below the abdomen. The hands are concealed inside the sleeves, and everything below the knees is buried in the ground. A hat is said to have once rested on the head. The unusual hand posture and overall sculpting technique suggest the statue dates from the Three Kingdoms period.