Namgansaji Flagpole Support Pillars, Gyeongju

Basic information

Designation

Treasure No.909

Category

Architecture

Era

통일신라시대

Designated year

1987

Location

경주시, 경상북도— 경북 경주시 탑동 858-6번지

Coordinates

35.813713, 129.217055

In a Buddhist temple, a flagpole was used to hold a huge flag or a banner called dang at the entrance during a large-scale event like ceremonial ritual. A flagpole was usually made of stone or iron and was accompanied by a pedestal and a pair of supports. Few flagpoles have been preserved, with only the flagpole supports remaining in most cases. These stone flagpole supports stand in the middle of a field approximately 500 m away from the Namgansa Temple Site. Farming in the area unearthed the bottom of the pedestal by about 50 cm and detached the base stone from the construction. With the loss of the pedestal, these supports also do not have the strut used to hold the flagpole on the pedestal. There are three holes placed in the inner part of the pedestal to hold the flagpole. In particular, the hole on the top is in the shape of a cross, which is very rare. Without any special decoration, these flagpole supports of the mid-Unified Silla Period are characterized by a simple, naive style and have been preserved well.

Location