The Monument of the History of Songgwangsa Temple

This monument was erected to celebrate the expansion of the temple. Take a look at the monument, and you’ll see that the foundation stone is in the shape of a turtle, whereas the top portion is engraved with dragons.

In Korea, a monument is used to record an incident or project based on facts. In the case of this monument, it's inscribed with a detailed description of why and how the temple was built. That's what makes it an important historical record.

There is another factor that adds to the historical value of this monument: The inscription was composed and inscribed by two important people of the history of the Joseon Dynasty. It was composed by a civil minister who served the King fight against the invading Chinese until his death. He was very opposed to the modernization of Korea. And it was inscribed by none other than one of the sons of the 14th King of the Joseon Dynasty. He was also one of the people King Injo trusted the most. In addition to this monument, Songgwangsa Temple has many relics from the mid Joseon period.

This marks the end of your tour of this temple. We hope you have seen all the hidden treasures of the temple. Thank you.