Gyeongju Nam-san NW Corner O-neung Tombs, Na-jeong Well and Poseok-jeong Garden Great Historic Sites of Shilla Kingdom |
The O-neung 오릉 [Five Tombs], claimed to be the original and oldest royal tombs of the Shilla Kingdom These are, supposedly, the final resting places of the first few monarchs of Shilla, who launched its history over two millenniums ago. The royal personages allegedly to be buried here include: King Bak Hyeokgeose, progenitor of Korea's "Park" clans and founder of Shilla by uniting the six tribal clans, and his wife, Queen Aryeong; the 2nd monarch, King Namhae; the 3rd monarch, King Yuri; and the 5th monarch, King Pasa. To the east of these royal tombs lies Sungdeok-jeon Shrine, which holds the ancestral tablet of King Bak Hyeokgeose. Behind the shrine is the Aryeong-jeong Well, said to be the birthplace of Queen Aryeong. This area is also famous for viewing autumn leaves in October. In reality Shilla probably became an organized tribal-federation proto-state "Jinhan" in the Gyeongju area in the 4th Century, and a "kingdom" with all of North Gyeongsang Province as its territory in the early 6th Century; these tombs were built *much* later by Confucian officials to honor the mythical "founders". |
Aryeong-jeong Well next to the Oreung Tombs; the Sungdeok-jeon Shrine, which holds the ancestral tablet of Founding King Park Hyeokgeose, is seen over the wall behind-left. |