Geumdang, Where the Statue of Buddha is Enshrined

This is the site of geumdang, or the main hall of this Buddhist temple. Geumdang is the building that enshrines the statue of Buddha, and it’s the most important place in a temple. Back when the statue of Buddha wasn’t around, the most important structure in a temple was the pagoda.

Globally, people started making the statue of Buddha in late 1st to early 2nd century. It was first constructed in the Gandara area, where today’s Pakistan and Afghanistan are located. It was influenced by the Greeks, who built statues of their gods. That’s why the early statues of Buddha are very similar to Greek statues in appearance.

The purpose of the statue was to create a concrete form of Buddha to worship, which previously existed only as a concept.

However, although there was geumdang in Mireuksa that enshrined the statue of Buddha, the pagodas also took up an important role. This is deeply related to the features and beliefs of Korean Buddhism.

In addition to meditating and studying the Buddhist scriptures, Korean Buddhism is heavily focused on praying for fortune. And because people strongly believed in the mysterious power of sarira, the pagoda containing sarira was very important to the people.