Seoamjeongsa Temple is a small Buddhist Temple with beautiful rock-carvings and temples surrounded by mountains in Jirisan National Park in South Korea. If you have to choose one temple to visit, pick this one!
Seoamjeongsa Temple
You enter the temple area via a path surrounded by rock-carvings of the guardians of this place. Behind you are mountains. It feels somewhat mysterious, as you can’t see beyond the rocky path and cliffs to your left and right.
Following the path, under the man-made stone ceiling, you get your first view of Seoamjeongsa Temple: the main hall is quite a sight to behold. The orange color of the temple stands out against the grey cliffs but feels like it belongs there.
Everything at the temple site has its own carefully chosen place and enhances the already existing beauty of the natural scenery. The buildings are also very well-maintained with colorful decorations painted all over the surface.
Walk on to see the building with the bell overlooking the valley, a pond with a small buddha and more alcoves built against the mountain cliffs. Standing near the pond, with the bell at your back, you can also see the entrance to the Grotto Hall and Sajagul Cave.
The inside of the cave is decorated with rock-carvings of buddhas and other sculptures; a very stunning place to gaze around in. Once outside you can drink some water coming from the mountains and walk up the stairs to the shrine at the upper courtyard.
Of all the sites I visited during my second roundtrip in South Korea, this was perhaps the site I was most impressed with because it was so beautiful and unexpected. If you happen to be in the area, this place is a must-see.
Bonus: Byeoksongsa Temple
Less than a kilometer east of Seoamjeongsa Temple is the just as secluded Byeoksongsa Temple, known as a place used by the North Korean Army for military purposes during the Korean War in the 1950s.
If you walk to the top you not only have a great view of the temple site surrounded by mountains but you can also see the three-story stone pagoda. Judging from this pagoda people assume the temple was built at the end of the Silla Dynasty or the beginning of the Goryeo Dynasty.
Next to the stone pagoda, you can see a wooden totem pole decorated with many carvings. And, very fascinating though less sophisticated from a cultural point of view: a tree supported by a wooden structure.
Practical information
- Location of Seoamjeongsa Temple: 279-2, Chuseong-ri, Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do.
- Location of Byeoksongsa Temple: 259, Chuseong-ri, Macheon-myeon, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do.
- Admission to both temples is free.
- Parking tips: you can drive all the way to the entrance of the temples if you visit out of season and on a weekday. Drive past the bigger parking lot with shops and go left for Seoamjeongsa Temple (only around five parking spots near the entrance, so you have to be lucky) or right for Byeoksongsa Temple (more space here).
How to get there by Public Transport
From Hamyang (용평리 정류장 승차 bus stop) to the temples you can take the bus between Hamyang and Chokdong (함양-촉동).
Get off at the 금계 정류장 하차 bus stop and walk 15 minutes to the road towards Seoamjeongsa Temple or Byeoksongsa Temple.
More places to visit near Seoamjeongsa Temple
Jianjae Pass and Odogae Pass, designated as one of the 100 most beautiful roads of South Korea, are very close to Seoamjeongsa Temple. Read more about the other places I visited on day 10 – 12 of my lesser-known south and west of South Korea itinerary.
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