CULTURE
South Korea’s Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple - a masterpiece of Buddhist art protected by UNESCO
Baku, October 7, AZERTAC
Established in the 8th century under the Silla Dynasty, on the slopes of Mount Tohamsan, South Korea’s Seokguram Grotto and Bulguksa Temple form a religious architectural complex of exceptional significance.
Seokguram is an artificial grotto constructed of granite that comprises an antechamber, a corridor and a main rotunda.
It enshrines a monumental statue of the Sakyamuni Buddha looking out to sea with his left hand in dhyana mudra, the mudra of concentration, and his right hand in bhumisparsa mudra, the earth-touching mudra position.
Together with the portrayals of devas, bodhisattvas and disciples, sculpted in high and low relief on the surrounding walls, the statues are considered a masterpiece of East Asian Buddhist art.
The domed ceiling of the rotunda and the entrance corridor employed an innovative construction technique that involved the use of more than 360 stone slabs.
Inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1995, Seokguram Grotto portrays the enlightenment of Buddha and Bulguksa Temple represents the Buddhist utopia taking its form in the terrestrial world. The two sites are closely linked physically, historically and culturally and all of their key components are included within the boundaries of the property.