Three-story Stone Pagoda in Naksan-ri, Gumi

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.469

Category

Sites & Pagodas

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

1968

Location

구미시, 경상북도— 경북 구미시 해평면 낙산리 837-4번지

Coordinates

36.251640, 128.362038

Many huge stone pagodas including this three-story stone pagoda remain around Seonsan, one of the places where Buddhism was introduced earlier than any other place during the Silla Era. Many relics including fragments of roof tiles, pieces of earthenware, and antefixes engraved with lotus patterns have been discovered around this area, proving that this place is the former site of a temple. This pagoda remains in relatively complete state with slight damage and consists of the three-story main body and two-layer stylobate as a typical style of the stone pagodas built during the Unified Silla period. The stylobate is engraved with pillar patterns; each facet of the middle stone of the bottom layer is carved with five pillar patterns – two at the corners and three in the middle -- on each facet; the middle stone of the upper layer is carved with two pillar patterns at the corners and two pillar patterns in the middle of each facet. A niche enshrining a Buddha statue is installed on the southern part of the core stone of the first story, with round holes to fix the door at the entrance of the niche remaining. The roof stones including the cornices, eaves, and tiered-upper side were built by imitating the brick pagoda style. Of the upper part of the pagoda, all the finial parts are missing, and only the finial base remains. The three pillar patterns engraved on every facet of the bottom layer of the stylobate are believed to be characteristic of the style of the early stage of the construction history of the stone pagodas. Moreover, the composition of the core stones and roof stones seems a bit behind the times. These kinds of style are similar to the Five-story Stone Pagoda in Jukjang-ri, Gumi (National Treasure No. 130), which is regarded as a kind of brick pagoda. The pagoda is assumed to have been built around the 8th century of the early Unified Silla period, judging from the well-arranged composition of stones, structure of the stylobate, and general structure of the pagoda.

Location