Gwanchoksa (관촉사)

One of the great things about Korea is how connected it is. Trains and buses run almost constantly to both large and small destinations. Recently a whim took me on a half hour train ride to Nonsan. From there I took a short taxi ride to Gwanchoksa. The most striking part of this temple is the giant Buddha holding a lotus flower. He stands nearly sixty feet tall. Construction began in 967 and took nearly forty years to complete. It is the largest standing stone Buddha in Korea. Legend has it that a woman on heard a baby crying on the mountain. She went to the location of the crying and found only a rock. Upon this rock the Buddha was constructed. In the foreground of the photo is a large stone lantern which probably stands fifteen feet high. The temple grounds were rather small and it took all but an hour to soak it all in. The beauty of such a place is simply its age. Standing in a place that has been relatively unchanged for a thousand years is a unique experience.