Tomb of Queen Seondeok, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.182

Category

유적지

Era

신라 선덕여왕

Designated year

1969

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 보문동 산79-2번지

Coordinates

35.823481, 129.242388

This is the royal tomb where Queen Seondeok, the first queen and the 27th monarch of Silla, is buried. As the daughter of King Jinpyeong (579 to 632), she ascended to the throne. She contributed to the construction of famous buildings such as Cheomseongdae, one of world's earliest observatories, Bunhwangsa Temple, and Nine-story Stone Pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple and built the foundation for the unification of the three kingdoms with Kim Yu-sin and Kim Chun-chu. This is a grave mound with height of 6.8m and diameter of 23.6m. There is a stone circle of few layers around the mound. The history book Samguk sagi (History of the Three Kingdoms) states that, before she died, she asked the lieges to bury her in the Buddhist country named “Doricheon.” They did not know where it was until she told them that it was the peak of Nangsan Mountain. Since King Munmu performed the rite for the Four Guardian Kings at the peak of Nangsan Mountain after he accomplished the unification of the Three Dynasties, people realized why the queen called the place Buddhist country.

Location