Goddess of Mercy at Yeonsu Temple - Sangju, Korea
Posted by: 
silverquill
N 36° 26.258 E 128° 06.986
52S E 420807 N 4032852
This golden statue of the Goddess of Mercy stands over looking the Yeongsu Temple, or Hermitage, in the mountains above Sangju, Korea.
Waymark Code: WMM2TR
Location: Gyeongsang buk do, South Korea
Date Posted: 07/10/2014
Views: 2
This is a small hermitage in the mountains north of the city of Sangju, Korea, not far from the better known Nangja Temple complex home to several historic treasures.
One of the most noticeable feature is a standing Golden Goddess of Mercy Statue. See
Chenjongsa for a brief description in Korean.
Yeonsu Temple, or hermitage, is fairly recent in origin dating from 1930 with new renovations after a fire in 1980. There was a smaller fire again in 2010 and there were construction materials around the site during this visit in December of 2010.
There is no official page for this religious site nor is there information available through the usual tourist resources. There are, however a couple of personal sites with helpful presentations.
The blog A Bird of Paradise has a nice set of photos with descriptions in Korean.
There is a video by QUBI which gives a nice over view.
The unique feature of this hermitage is a cave hewn into the face of the mountain. Thee are several hundred small statues of Buddha in the main altar and a wooden floor where the monks may meditate in peace.
A modern set of glass doors seals the entrance. Nearby is a spring house which appears to be the supply of water for the complex, including an outdoor pool where a small pagoda is mounted.
A large bell was installed here in 1985. See the photo gallery of this waymark for detailed photos.
The living quarters appear to be of more modern design, but my be the under structure in the wake of the fire for a more traditional exterior. Visitors are welcome to update this description and add more recent photos.