Mural Painting in Daeungjeon Hall of Gwallyongsa Temple, Changnyeong (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva)

This mural painting was made in the 18th century.

It depicts Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva giving a lecture to a young practitioner named Sudhana. According to the Avatamsaka Sutra (The Flower Garland Sutra), Sudhana was seeking enlightenment and visited Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva at Mount Potalaka, the mythical dwelling of the Bodhisattva.

The huge Bodhisattva is sitting in the center, while Sudhana is portrayed in a much smaller size in the lower left part of the painting. This painting shows some typical features of 18th-century Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva paintings, such as the Bodhisattva’s splendid crown, the sitting posture in which his leg hangs over the pedestal, rocks and bamboo painted in ink, and a long-necked kundika bottle with a willow branch.

This painting is of great significance, as there are only about a dozen cases in Korea in which Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is painted on the back of the wall behind a Buddhist altar.

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