Stele of King Muyeol, Gyeongju

This is the pedestal and capstone of a stele which recorded the life and achievements of King Muyeol (r. 654-661), the 29th ruler of the Silla kingdom (57 BCE-935 CE). It was erected the year of King Muyeol’s death. The body stone has long been missing.

Steles from the Unified Silla period (668-935) were influenced by Tang China (618-907) and generally feature tortoise-shaped pedestals and capstones with dragon designs. This is the oldest stele discovered in this shape.

On the capstone is written “Stele of King Taejong Muyeol” in Chinese characters. The capstone is decorated with six dragons entangled around a wish-fulfilling jewel in the center. The tortoise’s neck extends upward and a tortoise-shell pattern is carved all over its back. In the center of the tortoise’s back, there is a raised rectangle with grooves where the body stone should be erected, and this rectangle is surrounded by lotus flower decorations.

It is said the epitaph on the missing body stone was calligraphed by King Muyeol’s second son, Kim In-mun (629-694).

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