Mireukdaewon Stone Temple Site, Chungju

Basic information

Designation

Historic Site No.317

Category

유적지

Era

고려시대

Designated year

1987

Location

충주시, 충청북도— 충북 충주시 수안보면 미륵리 58번지

Coordinates

36.821695, 128.095180

Mireukdaewon Temple Site located on a high land is a stone-caved temple site made to protect the stone Buddha statue. The stone cave was made by piling big stone, and the statues of Buddha were then kept there. A wooden building seems to have been placed on the upper part of the site but has disappeared. Tiles with “Mireukdangcho” inlaid were excavated, with the year estimated to be between the end of the Unified Silla and the early Goryeo period. Valuable cultural assets such as Stone Standing Buddha (Treasure No. 96), Five-story Stone Pagoda (Treasure No. 95), stone lamp, flagpole supports, etc., remain here. Legend has it that Prince Maui, son of King Gyeongsun who was the last king of Silla, was headed for Geumgangsan Mountain bemoaning Silla's fall. On the way there, his sister Princess Deokju constructed Deokjusa Temple facing the south and made the rock-carved Buddha. The prince made a stone cave here, facing Deokjusa Temple to the north. These are the only remains of the extraordinary structure facing north in Korea, said to have mimicked Seokguram Grotto basically unlike the general stone cave temple.

Location