Korea is filled with a variety of Buddhist Temples which many of them have become nothing more than tourist traps. However, not all temples in Korea are tourist traps and some of them are nothing more than ruins. One of the oldest remains of a Buddhist temple in Korea can be found at the Mireuk-ri temple site located on the slopes of Chungcheongbuk-do’s Woraksan National Park:

The Mireuk-ri temple site is the uncovered remains of a temple first believed to be constructed in the 11th century during the early years of the Goryeo dynasty, but parts of the temple may have been constructed even earlier during the late Shilla period because of the Shilla like characteristics of its gigantic five storied stone pagoda:

The pagoda is one of the largest in all of Korea and it is a testament to how well constructed this pagoda originally was to have survived all the conflicts fought on the Korean peninsula over the centuries.

Near the entrance of the temple is this large granite turtle:

Just past the granite turtle is the five storied stone pagoda and an ancient stone lantern. The view back down the valley towards Woraksan mountain overlooking these two historic cultural properties is spectacular:

At the very end of the temple complex is the stunning standing Buddha:

This Buddha was extremely popular for Koreans while I was visiting the temple site with both young and old paying homage to this ancient structure that has overlooked this temple complex for over a thousand years.

The standing Buddha is supposed to have magical properties because all though the statue is possibly over a thousand years old, the face of the Buddha remains amazingly clean and has never been washed:

This temple is really off the beaten path but definitely a must see destination for those visiting Woraksan National Park. The location is so remote it is difficult to reach by mass transportation. You can either take a bus from the Chungju bus terminal or from the nearby Suanbo Hot Springs. The more adventurous can even take the ferry boat across Chunju Lake to the start point of a trail to hike up Woraksan Mountain and then follow the trail across the mountain to the temple site.

However, you choose to reach the site it is really a must see for anyone with a real interest in early Korean history.

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