East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas at Gameunsa Temple Site, Gyeongju

These two pagodas are presumed to have been built when Gameunsa Temple was established in 682 during the Unified Silla period(668-935). It was a common practice during this period to place two stone pagodas, called the East Pagoda and the West Pagoda, in front of the main worship hall of the temple. These pagodas are the earliest extant examples of this arrangement, and they became a representative example of stone pagodas of this period.

Although both pagodas are assembled similarly and the number of the stones in them are same, the size of the stones of the East Pagoda is bigger than the West Pagoda. Both pagodas consist of a two-tiered base, three sets of body and roof stones, and iron bars, which are meant to support a decorative top. Metal rings are installed in various spots to help hold the stones together.

The West and East Pagodas were dismantled for repair in 1959 and 1996, respectively. During these repairs, reliquaries were found in the third-story body stones in both pagodas. They were designated as Treasures, respectively.

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