Rock-carved Buddhas at Chilburam Hermitage in Namsan Mountain, Gyeongju

These rock carvings, located near the top of Bonghwagol Valley on Namsan Mountain, depict a Buddhist triad and the Buddhas of the Four Directions. They are presumed to date to the mid-8th century at the height of the Unified Silla period (668-935).

The Buddhist triad, which consists of a principal buddha flanked by two attendant bodhisattvas, is carved on a large rounded boulder. In front of this is a smaller rectangular boulder with one of the Buddhas of the Four Directions carved on each side. All of the figures are depicted atop a lotus pedestal with a halo behind their heads. The five buddhas are seated and are each depicted with a different symbolic hand gesture. The two bodhisattvas stand facing the principal buddha and hold a flower stem and a bottle of pure water, respectively.

Because there are a total of seven figures depicted here, the nearby Buddhist hermitage was named Chilburam, meaning “Hermitage of the Seven Buddhas.”

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