Geumsansa Temple: Daejangjeon Hall

[Narration]
Have you arrived at Daejangjeon Hall yet?

The Daejangjeon Hall (treasure No. 827) that you see today is three openings wide at the front and the side, with eight ‘palja’ (wave-like) shapes making up the Korean ‘half-hipped roof’.

It was originally a wooden pagoda in the centre of the Mireukjeon Hall Front Courtyard housing the Buddhist scriptures, but today it is home to the disciple statues: Sakyamuni, Kassapa, and Ananda.

Daejangjeon Hall was originally built by the monk Master Jinpyo of Gimche, in around the eighth century during the Unified Silla Dynasty.

At the time Mireukjeon Hall (opposite) was being built, the wooden pagoda was decorated with octagonal shapes.

The octagonal shapes in the architecture and pagoda here are said to represent the continuity of a circle.

In 1635, the thirteenth year under Injo of the succeeding Joseon Dynasty, the temple was re-modified again and the original pagoda was changed to the chamber form that remains today, while the name ‘Daejangjeon’ was coined.

In 1922 the temple was moved to its current location.

Many changes like this took place here; however you can still see the Silla Dynasty pagoda style present in the valuable roof pieces that remain.

There are ten widths of mural decorating the walls on three sides, and also on the right and left outer walls. There is also a plaque above the Daejangjeon Hall entrance (on the inside) with the names of those attending the building renovations in 1974.

Next let’s examine the Seokdeung Lantern, located right in front of Daejangjeon Hall.