Dabotap Pagoda of Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju

This stone pagoda, known as Dabotap (“Pagoda of Abundant Treasures”), is presumed to date to Bulguksa Temple’s establishment in the mid-8th century during the Unified Silla period (668-935). This pagoda represents the Buddha of the past, Prabhutaratna, and forms a pair with the adjacent stone pagoda, which represents the Buddha of the present, Sakyamuni.

This pagoda’s exceptionally ornate design is based on a description in the Lotus Sutra of a pagoda enshrining Prabhutaratna that arose from the ground during Sakyamuni’s Lecture at Vulture Peak. The pagoda consists of a base with stairs and flagpole supports, multiple stories consisting of pillars and roof stones, and a tall decorative top. The bottom part of the pagoda is overall square in shape, while the upper part is octagonal. Some of the stories have balustrades.

Dabotap has been dismantled for repair and restoration four times in its history. During the Japanese colonial period (1910-1945), a repair by Japanese authorities led to the discovery of a reliquary with two Buddhist statues, but the whereabouts of these precious relics is still unknown. There was also a guardian lion at the top of each of the four stairs, but three were stolen by the Japanese.

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