*Course : Busan area hotel- Seokguram Grotto - Bulguksa Temple- Gyeongju National Museum- Tumuli Park- Cheomseongdae Observatory - Anapji Pond - Busan hote

*Description :
Gyeongju was the capital of the Silla Kingdom for a thousand years,and the valley in which it is situated has a great concentration od historical buildings, temples and artifacts. After Silla unifiied the peninsula in 676, the city developed into one of the  world's major cultural centers. The area is called a "museum without walls" because of the wealth of historial buildings and treasures.

Seokguram, located on Mt.Tohamsan, is the representative stone temple of Korea.
The official name of Seokguram, National Treasure No. 24, is Seokguram Seokgul. Designated as World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, it is an artificial stone temple made of granites. The construction started with Kim Dae-Seong (700~774) in 751 during the reign of King Gyeong-Deok (742~765) of the Silla Dynasty (57 B.C.~A.D. 935) and it was finished in 774, after 24 years, during the reign of King Hye-Gong (765~780).
Seokguram is known to have been built with Bulguksa Temple. According to the history book Samgukyusa of the Goryeo Dynasty (the country that unified the Korean peninsula at the end of the Silla Dynasty, 918~1392), Kim Dae-Seong had built Bulguksa for the parents who were alive, and Seokguram for the parents of his former life.
Seokguram is an artificial stone temple made of granites, and is located on the eastern peak of Mt. Toham (745m sea level). Inside the round-shaped main hall, there are the Bonjon Statue, Bodhi-sattva and his disciples. Seokguram was built to preserve these statues. The Bonjon figure wearing a generous smile is seated on the stage engraved with lotus flower design. The rounded ceiling looks like a half-moon or a bow and has a lotus flower decorated cover on it. As the sunrise from this spot is so beautiful, many people climb the mountain at daybreak.


Bulguksa Temple

Bulguksa Temple is the representative relic of Gyeongju and was designated as a World Cultural Asset by UNESCO in 1995. The beauty of the temple itself and the artistic touch of the stone relics are known throughout the world.
Bulguksa Temple was built in 528 during the Silla Dynasty, in the 15th year of King Beop-Heung's reign (514~540). It was called Hwaeom Bulguksa Temple or Beopryusa Temple back then. In 751, under King Gyeong-Deok (reign 742∼765), Kim Dae-Seong (700~774) started rebuilding the temple and finished in 774, under King Hye-Gong (reign 765~780). After 17 years of construction, the name 'Bulguksa' was finally given to the temple.
The name 'Bulguksa' was kept through numerous renovations of the temple from the Goryeo Dynasty (918~1392) to the Joseon Dynasty (1392~1910). But during the Imjinwaeran War (the war provoked by Japan's invasion, 1592~1598) the wooden building was burned, 819 years after first being established.
From 1604, during Joseon Dynasty (King Seon-Jo's 37th year) the reconstruction started again and was renovated approximately 40 times till 1805, to the reign of King Sun-Jo (1790~1834). But the temple still suffered many robberies and damage afterwards.
In 1969, the Bulguksa Temple Restoration Committee was formed and Mulseoljeon, Gwaneumjeon, Birojeon, Gyeongru and Hoerang, which were merely left as grounds of the original buildings, were rebuilt in 1973. Other old or broken sites such as Daewungjeon, Geukrakjeon, Beomyeongru and Jahamun were repaired.
The Bulguksa Temple of today has many cultural relics preserved within it, such as Dabo-tap (National Treasure No.20), Sukga-tap (National Treasure No.21) Yeonhwa-gyo* Chilbo-gyo (National Treasure No.22), Cheongun-gyo*Baekun-gyo (National Treasure No.23) Golden Seated Vairocana Buddhist Figure (National Treasure No.26), Golden Seated Amita Figure (National Treasure No.27) and Sari-tap (National Treasure No.61) among others.


Gyeongju National Museum

Gyeongju National Museum is deep in tradition, with a history of about 90 years. Representing Gyeongju, which used to be the capital of Silla (BC57~AD935), the museum is where you can view the cultural history of Gyeongju district. The exhibit hall is divided into 4 large parts: the Main hall, Annex I, Annex II, and the Outdoor Exhibit Area (Museum Grounds). In the Main Hall you can see earthenware, and in the Arts and Crafts room you can see various artwork and craftwork. Gukeun Memorial Hall exhibits 666 artifacts, which are the personal collection of Dr. Lee Yang-Seon, donated here for preservation. Artifacts from the great tombs still left in the city of Gyeongju are exhibited in Annex I, the Gobun Gallery. There are many glittering accessories, such as golden crowns, crown ornaments, belts, earrings etc. You can experience the superb artistry from the Silla Period through these artifacts. Approximately 30,000 artifacts were excavated from Anapji Pond, the most significant of which are exhibited in Annex 2, the Anapji Gallery. The other galleries exhibit household goods. The various types of items show the life in the Royal Court during the Silla Period. After the galleries, you can move on to the Outdoor Exhibit Area, which is the Museum Grounds. The King Seongdeok’s Bell located there, is the most renowned bell of Buddhist temples. You cannot help but feel solemn as you watch the relic. There are also various artifacts from royal palaces and temples exhibited here. Buddhist sculptures make up a majority of the stone artifacts. If you are a traveler interested in Buddhism or the magnificent culture of royal palaces, this is a place you do not want to miss.


Cheomseongdae Observatory

Cheomseongdae is the oldest existing astronomical observatory in Asia.
Constructed during the reign of Queen Seon-deok (632-647), it was used for observing the stars in order to forecast the weather. This stone structure is a beautiful combination of straight lines and curves, and was designated as National Treasure No.31 on December 20th, 1962.
Cheomseongdae was built in a cylinder shape with stones 30cm in diameter. 362 stones were piled up to make 27 levels. 4.16m up from the bottom there is a 1㎡ square entrance and a space to hang a ladder under it.
The inside is filled with soil up to the 12th level, and the 19th, 20th, 25th, and 26th levels all have long rocks hanging on two areas, shaped as the Chinese letter '井' (jeong).
It stands 9.17m high and the base stone on each side measures 5.35m.
The Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Winter Solstice, Summer Solstice and the 24 solar terms (also known as the astronomical solar year) were determined by the observation of stars. The pavilion stone is believed to have been used as a standard of deciding directions, north, south, east and west. The 362 stones used to build Cheomseongdae represented the 362 days in a lunar year.


Anapji Pond

As said in the historical book of Samguk-sagi, during the 14th year of King Munmu’s reign (AD 661~681) in the Silla period (57 BC ~ AD 935), a large pond was dug and small mountains were built all within the palace walls. Additionally, beautiful flowers were planted and rare animals were brought in to create an exquisite garden environment. It is at Wolseung (fortress erected in AD 101 during the Silla period) that we can find Anapji pond. In 1974, an excavation revealed large spherical shapes (measuring 200 meters in diameter and 180 meters in height) indicating that 3 islands were located in the pond. Anapji pond can presently be viewed in its near original splendor, thanks to restoration efforts.