A Millennium-Old "Star-Watching Tower", Gyeongju Part 5

  Cheomseongdae's graceful profile is more beautiful at night

Cheomseongdae, according to one source, means “star-gazing tower”. Yet experts still are arguing about the actual functions of this striking structure in Gyeongju, according to Sang Sang-yong’s article in the Korea Journal. I’d take Song’s claim that it’s one of “the hottest in the history of debates in Korea” with a thimbleful of salt but let’s have a quick look at the options.

Was it built to read the sun, the stars, the clouds or something else?

Was this granite tower, shaped like a bottle, which was built during the reign of Queen Seondeok ( between 633 and 647 A.D.) intended and used as...
a. an astronomical observatory?
b. a meteorological observatory?
c. a symbolic monument to Shilla science?
d. a sacrificial altar to worship the god of agriculture?
e. an expression of the Shilla concept of religion?
f.  all of the above?

Two models  showing how people got to the top.

Frankly, I’d echo Rhett Butler’s parting words to Scarlett O’Hara but I’m more impressed with the fact that it’s remained standing for over 1,300 years and has barely shown any stress from seismic shifts. If indeed Cheomseongdae  is an astronomical observatory, it may  be the oldest one existing in Asia. I guess its longevity and its apparent nod to the scientific, cultural and architectural achievements of the Shilla Dynasty are reasons enough for national pride.

National Treasure No. 31 - A national symbol and a source of pride

At the same time, it's also interesting how the twelve stones at the base reflect the months while the 30 layers may represent the days in the month while apparently the position, angles and directions of the tower corners are aligned to some stars, according to the Lonely Planet.

Sauna at Pension Cheomseongdae - does it really look like the tower?

The next time I visit Gyeongju though, I think I'll go to Pension Cheomseongdae , situated near the Gyeongju Folk Handicraft Village instead. Its sauna, supposedly shaped like its namesake, is  heated naturally with pine logs and is open 24 hours so one could even bed down there for the night and dream instead of Hallyu stars.

Sources:http://www.ekoreajournal.net/archive
http://english.triptokorea.com/english/UserFiles/Image/daily%20tour/Gyeongju/Cheomseongdae%20Observatory.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYR1uOXyymdzw7DjcVnwIeorZxNycHfpLEuUyH7oyzP1_19mcQ0S0uAVev-Ud9ROaNPGTQgtVL_8e8c7Z8Jmnajc1xlUk5rJY7d8XIY1wkbgm5zoGZ0c8WSpcHWdhUNoUsc7rF0Yu98zw/s1600-h/SDC14828.JPG
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3191/2832171984_8189b35ef7.jpg
http://i70.servimg.com/u/f70/12/80/22/63/para1010.jpg

The Long History of the Shilla Millennium in Three Paragraphs, Gyeongju Part 3

Eight years short of a millennium, the Shilla Dynasty enjoyed an impressive run of 992 years  (57 BC – 935 AD) under 56 kings. The birth of Park Hyeogeose, the originator of the Park clan, which dominated in the early years, has acquired mythical proportions. Legend has it that he was hatched from an egg laid by a white horse. Clashes between the main clans eventually saw the Kim clan emerge as the most powerful family and the unification of the three kingdoms ( Shilla, Baekjae and Goguryeo) marked the start of the Unified or Later Shilla period. The Shilla kings allied themselves to the Tang Dynasty in China at first but  had to defend their country against Chinese territorial ambitions and succeeded in denying the Chinese after a decade-long struggle. At the same time, the name “Shilla” became known along the Silk Road as far as Arabia and Persia.

                Map of the Three Kingdoms before unification under the Shillas

The power-sharing arrangement among the leading clans gave way to a hereditary monarchy under King Naemul (356–402) of the Kim clan. The kings strengthened their position by military might and by red tape.. First they put down armed revolts and got rid of their strongest rivals in the aristocracy Next, they tried to undermine the power base of the nobility by introducing a system of salary payments ( jikjeon) to replace the old practice of granting them land which entitled the yangbang to impose taxes on the peasants. But the nobility didn’t take kindly to this and they spent much of the latter period of the dynasty opposing the monarchy and fighting amongst themselves.

Queen Seondeok, the TV drama version

Buddhism became the state religion and during the reign of Queen Seondeok, ( 623-647 ), Son, a.k.a. Zen Buddhism, was developed. There were many achievements in the cultural and religious life of the kingdom under her rule, including the construction of Chomsongdae, the distinctive stone observatory. Earlier on, the kings had assumed the lofty position as Buddha-kings but their status was weakened ironically after the unification of the country as the nobility challenged their authority under a new system modelled after the Chinese government. The assassination of King Hyegong in 780 A.D. ended the succession line, reduced the king to a figurehead and intensified the internal strife between the upper and lower branches of the aristocracy. Finally, exhausted by the civil wars, the Shilla Kingdom fell into the hands of its rivals, the Goryeos in 935 A.D.

For info on the shooting locations for the MBC drama, Queen Seondeok, click here.

  Buddhist art and architecture thrived during the Shilla Dynasty

Sources:

http://www.godogyeongju.com/bbs/board_view.php?bbs_code=util_bbs4&bbs_number=3&page=
http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/history/unified_shilla.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silla
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_history101_detail.htm?No=16
http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/culturenlife/culturenlife_history101_detail.htm?No=7
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Kingdoms_of_Korea
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Images/Cloth/Hanb115.jpg
http://www.dragontortises.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Queen-Seon-Deok.jpg
http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/7/7e/Seondeok.jpg/230px-Seondeok.jpg