East Stupa of Borimsa Temple, Jangheung

This Buddhist funerary monument, standing at the precinct of Borimsa Temple, is widely regarded as the greatest artistic work among all the stupas built at a forest east of the temple. The temple housing the stupa was established in 860 by Chejing under the patronage of King Heonan as the head temple of Gajisan Order, the earliest among the nine major orders of Zen Buddhism founded in Korea during the Unified Silla period. The stupa consists of the main body enshrining the sarira, triple-tier base supporting it, and finial on top. Most of the parts are carved in octagonal forms. The stupa is also characterized by the upper part of the main body being comparatively taller than the lower body, the disproportionately smaller and lower middle-tier base but artistically highly regarded for the neatly organized structure, and the finial kept intact. It is a work of the late Unified Silla heralding the style that would characterize the stupas of early Goryeo; thus providing valuable sources of knowledge on the Buddhist funerary monument built in this period.

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