In 751, the temple was expanded during the reign of King Kyongdok (r. 742-765) by Kim Tae-song, the chief minister, in honor of his parents. He also built Sokkuram, in memory of the poor parents of his previous birth.

Pulguksa Temple epitomizes the spirit of Shilla, bearing witness to the great architectural achievements of that period and showing highly refined aesthetic beauty. 

Two mortarless stone pagodas stand complementing each other in the courtyard of the temple. Sokka-t'ap Pagoda is representative of the trend during the Unified Shilla  Period when pagodas were simplified to consist of three stories. The simplicity of this pagoda is enhanced by the complexity of its twin, Tapot'ap Pagoda. 

Legend tells that they were both created by a mason called Asadal, who left his young wife Asanyo, promising to return as soon as the pagodas were completed. After years of waiting, Asanyo journeyed to Kyongju but was prohibited from visiting the pagodas. She was told to wait near a pond and that, when the pagodas were completed, they would be reflected in the pond. Eventually, out of desperation, she threw herself into the pond. Thus, Sokkat'ap Pagoda is sometimes called the Pagoda Without Reflection.ˇ±

Pulguksa Temple is particularly famous for its graceful staircases, actually bridges. They are the oldest stone bridges in Korea and are called bridges because they lead from the secular world to the Land of the Buddha. The one to the east is called Blue and White Cloud Bridge. The second bridge- stairway, to the west, is called the  Lotus Flower and the Seven Gems. 

There are two 8th century gold leaf statues, one of Amitabha, the Buddha of Light, the other of Vairocana, the Buddha of Cosmic Power, considered to be the oldest and largest sitting gold statue in Korea. The Amitabha statue is in the Paradise Hall which is connected to the Vairocana Hall by a covered corridor.

Kim Tae-song's other creation, Sokkuram, ˇ°Cave of the Buddha,ˇ± was made at the same time as Pulguksa Temple - about 751 CE. The man-made cave houses one of the most beautiful Buddha statues in the world. High up on Mt. T'ohamsan, behind Pulguksa Temple, this nine-meter-high, domed rotunda, which was built to represent the Buddhist world, also contains thirty-nine Bodhisattvas, the Buddha Sakyamuni's ten enlightened disciples, gods and guardians.

During the Choson Dynasty, when Buddhism was persecuted, this national masterpiece was forgotten. Then, one cloudy day in 1909, a lone postman suddenly had to take shelter from a thunderstorm. He dashed into the only place available: a dome. There, as his eyes grew accustomed to the dim light, he saw the magnificent statue. After its re-discovery, Sokkuram Grotto was opened to the public and become a well-known attraction. In the 1960s the Korean goverment made extensive repairs to stabilize the dome. In 1995, Sokkuram Grotto and the Pulguksa Temple were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. 


Pulguksa Temple TEL : (0561)746-9912

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