East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas in Namsan-dong, Gyeongju

These two pagodas are presumed to have been built 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. The two pagodas each consist of a two-tiered base, three sets of body and roof stones, and the remaining part of a decorative top.

The East Pagoda’s base section is made of eight large square-cut stones stacked in two tiers, on top of which three slabs of stone were stacked as a support for the first-story body stone. Pagodas with bases made of square-cut stones can be found only in the Gyeongju area. The body stones feature no decorative carvings.

The West Pagoda’s upper base tier is carved with two guardian deities on each side, and the corners of the body stones were carved to look like pillars.

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