East and West Three-story Stone Pagodas at Jangyeonsa Temple Site, Cheongdo

A pagoda is a symbolic monument enshrining the relics or remains of the Buddha. Although not all pagodas contain the true remains, they are nonetheless worshiped as sacred places that enshrine the Buddha.

This pair of three-story stone pagodas at Jangyeonsa Temple Site are presumed to date to the 9th century during the Unified Silla period (668-935). The West Pagoda, which had been discarded along a nearby stream bank after having collapsed, was reassembled next to the East Pagoda in 1980. In 1984, the East Pagoda was dismantled and renovated.

Both pagodas are typical of the Unified Silla period, consisting of a two-tier base, three sets of body and roof stones, and a decorative top, with the corners and sides of the bases, as well as the corners of the body stones, carved to look like pillars. The body and roof stones of the West Pagoda are damaged in various ways, while most of its base was reconstructed using newly added stones. The East and West Pagodas measures 4.6 m and 4.84 m in height, respectively.

When the East Pagoda was dismantled in 1984, a gilded wooden reliquary containing a blue glass reliquary was found in the first-story body stone. These relics are now kept at the Daegu National Museum.

Near the temple site remain partially destroyed flagpole supports, which denote the entrance of a Buddhist temple. Scattered around the village are other structures related to temple, such as a mortar-shaped stone water basin, the pedestal of a stone lantern, and stone pedestals used at the base of wooden pillars.

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