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Tongdosa
temple, one of the three largest
temples in Korea, houses the sariras
of Buddha.
The Buddhist Priest
Chajang built the temple in 646, after returning
home from China with the sariras
of Buddha. The Buddhist lantern
at the temple has never been extinguished during the
past 1,300 years. Taeungjon, the main hall, has
no Buddha images but an altar. Instead, Kumganggyedan
(Diamond Stairway) behind the main hall houses the sariras of Buddha.
Within the temple compound are 35 buildings
including Yonghwajon, Kwanumjon, Ungjinjon and Pom-
jonggak, in addition to Buddhist lanterns and pagodas.
In the vicinity of the temple are 14 Buddhist hermitages.
Especially, Tongdo
temple has the most tangible
Buddhist cultural properties among all the temples in
Korea. Even the number of kind of cultural properties
is up to 43.
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