Haedong Yonggungsa Temple The Buddhists Goryeo Dynasty Tour Busan

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is situated on the coast of the north-eastern portion of Busan. This superb find of a tourist spot and temple offers visitors the rare find of a temple along the shore line. Most temples in Korea are located in the mountains. Haedong Yonggungsa Temple was first built in 1376 during the Goryeo Dynasty.

Haedongyonggungsa Temple is very unique, in that, it is located on a cliff overlooking the sea off Busan, unlike other Buddhist temples located in deep mountains. Inside the temple are the main hall, Gulbeopdang Hall, Yongwangdang Hall and Beomjonggak Bell Pavilion. According to legends, praying to the sitting stone Buddha statue in the Gulbeopdang Hall will help you have a baby. Also, the temple has Haesugwanumdaebul, the biggest Buddhist stone statue in Korea, attracting a lot of tourists.

Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, situated in Gijang County is unique in various aspects. First of all, visitors
are surprised by its close proximity to the sea. It's as if one could touch the blue water of East Sea just by
reaching out from the temple, which sits like a picture on the rocks washed by the sea incessantly. This temple, which skirts the seashore like few others do, is also famous for providing a magnificent view of the sunrise particularly on the first day of the New Year. Many people visit the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple to make diverse wishes in ordinary times, not to mention of those who make yearly wishes on the “Sun-Greeting Rock” in front of the shrine on Jan. 1.

Hidden here and there in this temple are structures in which the fortune-praying faithful come to make their wishes, such as “Shipijisang” (Twelve Animal Statues) that get rid of “triple disasters” and ward off evil, “Deuknambul” (Son-Birth Buddha) that gives a son to those who touch its belly, “Yaksayeoraebul”
(Bhaisajyaguru in Sanskrit or Medine Buddha) known to treat the diseased, “Yongwangdang” (Dragon-residing Shrine), “Gulbeopdang” (Cave Sermon Hall), “Hakeopseongchuibul” (Academic Attainment Buddha) and a pagoda wishing for traffic safety. Particularly, the “Haesugwaneumdaebul” (Seaside Avalokitesvara Statue), which is the nation's largest statue made of a single stone at a height of 11 meters.

The origins of Haedong Yonggungsa Temple go back to as early as the Goryeo Dynasty. It was learned that Rev. Hyegeun (Naong in Buddhist name), who later became the mentor of King Gongmin, built the temple in 1376 (the second year of King Wu's reign), naming it Bomun Temple. It was burnt down during the Japanese
invasion of Korea in 1592, but was rebuilt by Rev. Ungang of Tongdo Temple in the 1930s.

Counted as one of the nation's three major holy places enshrining Avalokitesvara along with Naksan Temple in Yangyang and Boriam in Namhae, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple has been drawing not just Buddhists but a number of tourists from home and abroad, because of its excellent surrounding scenery, various hidden attractions and religious aura. All this has led an increasing number of people to include Haedongyonggung Temple as one of the tourist attractions one should never miss in Busan.