UNESCO temple Korea

160,000 Ceramic Scriptures and Underwater Lacquer Art — Inside Seounam, Tongdosa’s Most Unexpected Hermitage

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Close-up of individual ceramic scripture plates (52 cm x 26 cm) displaying Buddhist canon text at Seounam Hermitage

Most travelers who visit Tongdosa Temple explore the main halls, pay their respects, and head back to Busan — never realizing that 19 hermitages (smaller sub-temples, each with its own character) are scattered across the mountain slopes above. On a recent trip, my husband found one that sounded too strange to skip: Seounam Hermitage at … Read more

Tongdosa Temple: The Korean Temple That Needs No Buddha Statue

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Iljumun Gate at Tongdosa Temple with calligraphy by Heungseon Daewongun

I walked into the main hall expecting a large golden Buddha — the kind you see at every Korean temple. Instead, the altar was bare. No statue, no image, just an open window at the back of the hall framing a stone platform outside. That single detail changed the entire visit. Tongdosa Temple, tucked into … Read more