Stone Seated Vairocana Buddha of Birosa Temple, Yeongju

These statues (height: 113㎝ and 117.5㎝, respectively) date back to the Unified Silla Period (668 - 935). According to the information contained in a monument set up for Monk Jingong, who was a prestigious monk in the late Silla Period and the early Goryeo Period, he remodeled Birosa Temple. Originally, each of the two statues had a mandarla behind its head, and they were put on a pedestal but are now on an octagonal, lotus-shaped bottom stone.

The head of the Amitabha Buddha Statue depicts ushnisa on individual, tightly curled coils of hair. It sits in lotus position with the hands put on the legs. The Seated Statue of Vairocana Buddha shows neatly shaped shoulders and chest. The round face, thick neck, large nose and mouth, and short ears suggest that the work follows the pattern of realism. The two put at a place indicate a feature of Avatamsaka Buddhism of Silla.

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