Gyeongju National Museum | |
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A short walk from Anapji Pond lies the Kyongju
National Museum, with over 80,000 relics from the Shilla period. At any time, 2,500
are on display. In front of the main building stands the bronze Divine Bell of King
Seongdeok. Also called the Emile Bell, it stands over 3 meters high and weighs over 25 tons,
making it Asia's largest. It makes a clear, resonating sound when rung, reputedly able to travel
over 3 km.
Spaced around the museum grounds are various relics recovered from excavations around the country.
Pieces of statues, temple ornaments, bridges, stupas, and other monuments line the walkways. Some
have brief descriptions of their purpose and where they came from, while others are just left for
the viewing of visitors. The trees that line the walkways burst with cherry blossoms in the Spring
and drop multicolored leaves in the Fall.
Just inside the entrance gate is a small shop which rents audio guides to the museum in English,
Japanese, and Korean for Metal Objects from Anapji Pond Objects representative of metal works include gold and gilt-bronze bowls, bronze dishes and plates, bronze monster-face door knockers, a gilt-bronze ponghwang bird and lotus bud ornaments, a gilt-bronze curtain rod, gilt-bronze wall decorations, bronze and nickel mirrors, and women's hairpins and rings. Of particular note is a covered bowl which has a cintamani (magic jewel) shape on the lid. The Chinese character Ku is inscribed inside the lid and on the bottom of the bowl. Similar bowls can be seen in the Shosho-in repository in Nara, Japan. There are two types of bronze dishes. Ones without stands are of the same shape as the cover of the tri-colored funeral urn excavated from the Choyang-dong site. Bronze spoons and snuffers: bronze spoons from not only Unified Shilla, but also the Koryo and Choson periods, were retrieved. Most of the Unified Shilla spoons are round or oblong shaped. Bronze spoons of the same shapes are kept in the Shosho-in Repository in Japan. Ten are wrapped together in Shilla paper. The snuffers were used to cut off the burnt portion of lamp wicks. The scalloped and rhythmically curving handles have leafy arabesque patterns against a dotted background. A similar pair is preserved in Shosho-in Repository.
This bronze bell, the largest of its kind in the Orient, was cast in 771 A.D. during the reign of King
Hyegong, the 36th ruler of Shilla. An impressive example of Shilla metal craft, the bell is approximately
3.78 meters high and 2.24 meters in diameter, weighing 18.9 tons. The making of the bell was first
undertaken by King Kyongbok to honor the spirit of his deceased father, King Songdok. King Kyongdok died
before realizing his dream and the bell was not completed until the reign of his son, King Hyegong.The hollow tube, which is believed to control the tone, the kneeling apsaras (or heavenly maidens), the four panels (each containing 9 nipple-like protrusions), and the lotus and grass designs are all typical of bells of the Unified Shilla period (668-935). The bell is commonly known as the Emile Bell, a name derived from an ancient Shilla term, pronounced em-ee-leh that means "mommy." According to legend, the bell would not ring when it was first cast, so it was melted down to be recast. The head priest of a temple threw a small child into the molten metal, saying he was told to do so by a vision. When the bell was recast and struck, it sounded like the baby's cries of em-ee-leh when the child was sacrificed. The Art of Sarira Reliquary Stupas were an object of worship because of the sarira enshrined in them. Special reliquaries were used to enshrine the sarira of Sakyamuni. The sarira was put in a glass bottle, then the bottle was put in a gold casket. The gold casket was set in a silver casket which was placed in a bronze casket, which was placed in a stone box, then put in the stupa. As Buddhism spread throughout central Asia into China, a new style of stupa emerged in the form of wood or brick pagodas. Stone pagodas were the most prevalent. In Korea, the sarira was placed in the foundation stone for the central column of wooden pagodas and in the body of stone pagodas. The shape of reliquaries also differed from country to country. Not much is known about reliquaries of the Three Kingdoms period. However, reliquaries in the shape of a funeral palanquin or pavilion found at the site of Kamun-sa and Songnim-sa are unique and only found in Korea. Because Koreans have had an affinity for glass since ancient times, they tended to place the sarira in glass bottles. Reliquaries made of gold, silver, and bronze are the unique metal craft of Korea.These contribute greatly to the comprehensive study of Buddhist pagodas, scriptures and images. Printing and textile skills were accompanied by a variety of artifacts considered precious at the time. They provide on overall view of ancient Korean culture. 
The brick style stupa in Punwhang-sa temple show the original type of stone stupa from the Shilla period. The stupa is believed to date from the third year of Queen Sundok in A.D.634, when the temple was first constructed. Three stories of the stupa have been restored, but judging from its whole proportion and the amount of brick stones remaining around the stupa, scholar believe that it once had five stories or more. A stone case was found in the middle of the second and third stories during repairs done in 1915. A square hole in the case contained sarira reliquaries and were covered with stone. On one side of the bottom, a waterway is made in case of rain. Information: (054) 772-5193 Hours: Sundays and holidays- closing time extended 1 hour Opening nights every Thursday, Friday, Saturday until 21:00 * Ticket sales end 1 hour before closing Closed: Jan. 1, every Monday Admission: Adults (25 to 64 years old): 400 won Discount (19 to 24 years old, soldiers, and groups of 30 or more): 200 won Free: 18 years old and under, 65 years old and over, handicapped, National patriots * Every first Sunday of the month is free Directions: Take bus 11, 600, 603 from the Express Bus Terminal or Gyeongju Station, exit in front of museum See related tour(s). | |
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