Rock-carved Seated Buddha at Golguram Hermitage, Gyeongju

This rock carving depicts a buddha and is presumed to date to the late 9th century during the Unified Silla period (668-935). It is located on a protruding cliff behind Golguram Hermitage and faces in a southeasterly direction toward the East Sea. Along the cliff face is a series of 12 stone grottos made using natural caves within the rock, this carving being the uppermost among them.

The buddha is depicted in a seated position. There are traces of a pedestal, but these have been severely worn. Around the buddha's head is a lotus halo, and the entire carving is surrounded by what appears to be a halo with flame designs. There is a protuberance on the top of the head symbolizing the buddha's great wisdom. His eyes, nose, and lips are slender. The body is relatively flat compared to the face which is depicted with high dimensionality. The neck and upper chest are eroded. The folds of the robes are depicted in systematic parallel lines, and a V-shaped pattern was added to distinguish the arms and body.

In a painting by the renowned artist Jeong Seon (1676-1759), a wooden building is depicted standing in front of the carving. Today, only the traces of this building remain.

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