Three-story Stone Pagoda in Seoak-dong, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.65

Category

Sites & Pagodas

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

1963

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 서악동 705-1번지

Coordinates

35.827960, 129.184827

This pagoda, one of many Unified Silla stone pagodas built with stone bricks, stands on gentle hill to the northeast of the Tomb of King Muyeol. In general, stone brick pagodas were made with stones trimmed into bricks, in the style of earthen-brick pagodas. The pagoda stands on an irregularly-shaped base made of eight cubic stone blocks on a stylobate composed of four long, thick stone plates. To support the body stone, a flat stone is inserted into the upper part of the stylobate, which is much simpler than that of the third story of the Namsanri stone pagoda. Both the main stone and the roof stone of the body were hewn from one piece of stone. The core stone of the first story has a big square niche (holding a Buddha statue) carved with the design of a door, on each side of which is carved one of the temple’s guardian deities (Vajradhara) are sculpted on both sides. Each roof stone is hewn from one block of stone, and its cornice and upper part are engraved with a ‘step’ design. The eaves are horizontal. Judging from the distinctive style of the stylobate, this pagoda is a replica of the East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas in Namsan-dong, Gyeongju (Treasure No. 124). However, the three-story stone pagodas in Namsa-dong have a three-tiered stylobate, while the stone pogoda in Seoak-dong has a stylobate made from one piece of stone. As such, it is estimated that the three-story stone pagoda in Seoak-dong was built in the late Unified Silla Period when the kingdom was in decline. The roof of each story is proportionately larger than its core stone, creating an unbalanced and rather heavy impression.

Location