Cinderella Story for A Temple, Bulguksa Part 2

It’s ironic how the humble Bulguk-sa which was never intended to be a big name among the Shilla temples turned out to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main temple featured in KNTO posters. While little remains of its contemporaries like Hwangnyongsa and Bunhwangsa, the major temples, Bulguk-sa, the underdog or Cinderella of Buddhist temples in Korea, has managed to rise like a phoenix from the ashes of the Japanese invasions in the 16th century and catch the imagination of President Park Chung-hee ( 1961-1979) who supported its restoration.

Its origins seem to offer a clue as to its resilience – the architect and prime minister responsible for the the original temple had his own rags to riches story. Kim Da-seong was born poor and so ugly that he was given the moniker “ Big Wall” on account of his flat forehead. Religion proved to be a great comfort to the young Kim and according to legend, he was reincarnated and when he was born the second time, he was found with a seal bearing his name in his fist. The second Kim eventually became the prime minister and personally designed the temple to honour his parents according to one legend which doesn’t state which set of parents – the first, the second or perhaps both.

However, others don’t believe Kim had any such intention in mind. Another version has it that it was built by King Pob-hung for his queen. Shilla kings used to depict themselves as rulers of a Buddha land so this theory of the origins of Bulguk-sa seems plausible. A third explanation maintains that the temple was designed to symbolize “the happy land where mortals found release from all the heartaches and pains of human life by following the enlightened path as taught by Buddha.” As a result, a lot of effort was put into making the small temple beautiful.

Sources:

http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SI/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264261
http://jikimi.cha.go.kr/english/world_heritage_new/Bulguksa.jsp
http://211.57.113.1/jsp/vr/cybertour_main.jsp?codeid=01010501&eflag=E
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulguksa
http://www.orientalarchitecture.com/koreasouth/gyeongju/bulguksa.php
http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=1912