Daeungjeon, the Main Buddha Hall, of Gwaneumsa, and Wooden Seated Gwaneum Bodhisattva

[Curator]

Here, you can see the Sakyamuni Buddha in the center, and “Samantabhadra Bodhisattva,” the Bodhisattva of the Great Vow and Action, and “Manjusri Bodhisattva.” the Bodhisattva of Great Wisdom, have been placed here as his attendants in the Main Buddha Hall, as the center of the temple. Also, sculptors of the late 17th century produced a seated wooden statue of Gwaneum Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva of Great Compassion, which is also enshrined here. It was designated Tangible Asset No. 16 by the Jeju-do government.

[Visitor]

How is this wooden seated Bodhisattva of Great Compassion special?

[Curator]

From the reliquaries in the statue, we found that it was created in 1698 and relocated after the temple was reconstructed by Venerable Bongnyeogwan in 1925. In addition, it has the distinctive features of Buddha statues produced in the late 17th century. Its graceful appearance, natural embossing, and refined lines all made it easily recognizable as one of the Buddha statues from that period, and so it was designated as a cultural asset.