Ssangbong Temple’s distinguished Buddha

Enshrined in the main building of Janggok Temple on Mount Chilgap in Chungcheong, the Master Cheolgam stupa at Ssangbong Temple is an image of Buddha with a wooden halo around its head.

The image is seated high on a huge pedestal made of quadrangular stone. The Buddha’s face has a rounded, graceful look.

Art historians believe from the dignified posture of the statue that the work was made in the late ninth century.

In the middle of the base, large eyes are engraved, and in the upper base lotus flowers with raised petals are inscribed. The image is believed to have had a halo-like nimbus, originally made of stone, although it was later replaced with a wooden one.

It is certain from the flower patterns around the statue and the flame patterns on the edge that the work was made between the late Silla and early Goryeo periods. This is a masterful work that shows the structure of a shrine and the graceful style of an iron statue.

Name: Master Cheolgam stupa at Ssangbong Temple

Period: Unified Silla (A.D. 668-935)

Location: Hwasun County, South Jeolla

Status: National Treasure No. 58