Daeungjeon Hall and Ordination Platform of Tongdosa Temple, Yangsan

Located at the center of the Sangnojeong section in the grounds of Tongdosa Temple, Daeungjeon Hall is perhaps the most representative wooden structure of the temple’s fabulous architectural heritage. The hall was orignally built in 646 during the reign of Queen Seondeok (r.632-647) of the Shilla dynasty, and has undergone various renovation and rebuilding works since then. The current building was built in 1645, when the temple was heated by Great Priest Uun, to replace the earlier building after it was destroyed by fire during Japanese invasion of 1592. The hall features two connected buildings and a third T-shaped building whose four sides display the same appearance. The building has four connected buildings and a third T-shaped building whose four sides display the same appearance. The building has four hanging plaques, each bearing one of its four different names, of which the one hanging from the southern face was written by Prince Heungseon Daewongun (1820-1898), the father of the penultimate ruler of Joseon (later the Daehan Empire).

The Ordination Platform is where the ordination ceremonies were held for Buddhists who vowed to lead the monastic life. At the center of the platform stands a stone bell enshrining the relics (sarira) of the Shakyamuni Buddha, suggesting that the ceremony of monastic vows held here was similar to the vow to find refuge in the Buddha. Traditionally, the Shakyamuni’s hall (Daeungjeon Hall), when connected with the Diamond Platform, was not enshrined with a statue of the Buddha.

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