Gyeongju's Toham-san Seokgul-am The famous "Stone Grotto Hermitage" |
Near the peak of Toham-san, Seokgul-am is a complimentary subsidiary of Bulguk-sa, and together they are Korea's greatest artistic treasure, grandest temple-complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and one of Korea's top-20 temples. |
Photo of Seokgul-am soon after its rediscovery in the forest by a Japanese mailman, taken in 1909 by a Professor Dadashika; published in Lotus Lantern magazine |
photos from the first attempted restoration in 1913 |
photo of a scale-model in the Seogkul-am Technology Museum in the nearby Folk-Handicrafts Village, where you can learn details about the amazing design of this grotto's engineering |
Sanshin and Dokseong icons in the modern Main Hall -- made of cast metal, unique! the Mountain-spirit is shown reading a book, a rare feature found only in the Gyeongju & Andong areas. |