Mireuksa Temple Site, Iksan

Site details

Located on the southern foothills of Mireuksan Mountain, Mireuksa Temple Site was founded during the reign of King Mu, the 30th king of Baekje (reigned 600-641). It was built to harness the power of Buddhism to repel Silla's invasions and is the largest templeAMong Baekje's temples. According to the historical text "Samguk Yusa," the king and queen witnessed the appearance of the Mireuk Trinity (Buddha of the Future) in a large pond beneath Yonghwa Mountain (now Mireuksan Mountain). The queen expressed a desire to build a temple, and the king subsequently filled the pond and constructed Mireuksa Temple Site on the site. Unlike other Baekje temples, which typically consist of a single pagoda and a single main hall, Mireuksa Temple Site features a unique structure with three pagodas and three main halls. This design reflects the Baekje people's belief in Mireuk Buddhism, which holds that the Buddha of the Future will appear to save the world. The site originally had two stone pagodas and one wooden pagoda. The Iksan Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda, located on the west side, took 20 years to restore to its current form. Built in 639 (the 39th year of King Mu's reign), this pagoda is the largest and oldest surviving stone pagoda in Korea. Although it was initially presumed to have nine stories, only parts of six stories remained in a half-collapsed state. The dismantling and restoration process aimed to preserve its original form, and the reliquaries discovered during this process revealed the pagoda's construction date. The restored Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda, assembled from large and small stones, serves as a valuable relic illustrating the transition from wooden pagodas to stone pagodas. It holds significant historical value as an actual example of ancient architecture and is critically important for the study of Korea's Buddhist pagoda construction.