It’s time again to crown the winner of the Instagram Challenge! While both photo submissions of the beautiful Gakwonsa temple were colorful and depictive, there can only be one winner.Thanks to your votes, Stephanie has managed to beat Ryan for the second week in a row. Again, thanks to those of you who voted and took the time to check out our pictures. We have a lot of fun going around and competing against each other for these challenges.
As we previously mentioned, we left Seoul during the Seollal holiday for a brief visit to Cheonan, “the world’s best city.” We didn’t come to the same conclusion as the city planners as to it being the world’s best city, but we did have a pretty good time while we were there. Our first stop in Cheonan was the Gakwonsa temple. This temple is the second largest in Korea and has recently started to gain more tourism. Here’s why:
The temple was enshrined in 1977 to pray for the reunification of North and South Korea. The bronze, 60 ton statue of the Buddha was, at the time, the largest in Korea. It was later passed by the Future Buddha at Bongeunsa temple in Gangnam. Today, it is the third largest, but it is certainly still one of the most beautiful. We hope that the pictures can simply speak for themselves.
It was such a foggy day
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- These can be seen on all corners of virtually every temple in Korea. The fish is important to the Buddhism. Some believe it is because the fish has its eyes open day and night and thus is a reminder to always be aware.
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- This symbol is used in Buddhism as a symbol for eternity.
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- These can be seen on all corners of virtually every temple in Korea. The fish is important to the Buddhism. Some believe it is because the fish has its eyes open day and night and thus is a reminder to always be aware.
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- Hand painted ceiling
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- Stairway leading to the gong
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- Hand painted flower details
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- Hand carved and painted door to the main prayer hall
Colorful lanterns that certainly brightened this foggy and dreary day
To get here, whether from the downtown bus terminal or the subway station, take bus number 24 to the last stop. Many people walk up the 203 stairs to get to this temple, but if you keep following the road up the mountain, there is another entrance that is considerably easier to get to. Either way, you are in for a wonderful experience at a temple that has huge, and recently remodeled, buildings that are sure to leave you speechless and awestruck.
lovely shots!
Thanks! The fog that day really made this temple so much fun to explore and photograph.
Thank you my friend, I am proud to be able to read the writing on your article!
🙂 Glad you enjoyed it!
Lovely! We just got back from Vietnam and we spent time in a city with those lanterns everywhere. Really dresses things up
Yes, they do! Hope to see pictures of your trip soon on the blog. We have been really wanting to go to Vietnam for quite some time now!
Wonderful:)
Hi! Me and my husband also lives in South Korea. Check out our blog – http://www.brockandtanj.com ! Maybe we can give each other tips on where to go around and stuff. Thank you!
Really cute blog. Do you have a Facebook page or only subscription via email?
[…] week I accompanied our local photo club on a photo walk to Gakwonsa Temple in Cheonan. As a Christian, visits to temples do nothing for me spiritually. That said, I do enjoy […]