Stone Lantern at Gakhwangjeon Hall of Hwaeomsa Temple, Gurye

Stone lanterns are placed in Buddhist temples to be used for light offerings to the Buddha. They are typically placed in front of the main worship hall or a pagoda.

This lantern is said to have been built during the Unified Silla period (668-935). It is made of granite and is an impressive 6.36 m in height which naturally matches the imposing size of Gakhwangjeon Hall. It is the largest extant stone lantern in Korea.

The lantern is composed of a round base engraved with lotus designs, a convex round pillar, an octagonal light chamber with four openings, an octagonal roof stone, and a decorative top. All parts of the lantern have maintained their original structure. This kind of pillar shape was a popular design during the late Unified Silla period.

Source: Korea Heritage Service signboard ↗ · collected 2026-10-08