Stone Seated Buddha in Gyosan-ri, Hamyang

The Stone Seated Buddha of Gyosan-ri is a work of Buddhist sculpture dating back to Goryeo originally enshrined at the temple called either Cheongnyongsa or Yongsansa. The statue, widely regarded as a sculptural masterpiece of Goryeo, is comparatively large with the height of over 4 meters including the pedestal. The Buddha has lost his halo and suffered damages at some parts of its face, right hand, knees and pedestal. The Buddha is also marked by severely abraded face and damaged head, but displays an imposing figure. His face, with its benign smile, is often compared with that of the rock-carved Buddha of Deokjeon-ri, Hamyang.

The Buddha has “three ways” clearly depicted by three lines on the neck and is dressed in a robe draped from the left shoulder. He has a robust physique exhibiting majestic appearance with the muscular right arm. The right arm is broken off but believed to have been expressing the symbolic gesture of pointing to the ground with a finger. The left hand is placed upon knees with the palm upwards. The pedestal on which the Buddha is seated consists of three tiers, the upper pedestal with the damaged front face and both sides carved with lotus design, middle pedestal bearing the “elephant eye” (ansang) designs, and lower pedestal ornamented with the double-layered lotus motif.

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