The Girim Temple, or Girim-sa, is a major Buddhist temple complex in Gyeongju, established by an Indian monk during the reign of Queen Seondeok. Soak up its peaceful ambiance, take a peek into the prayer halls full of Buddhas and check out the spiritual fountain and ancient fig tree.
While the main temple of the 11th branch of Jogye Order in Gyeongju is now the Bulguk-sa complex on Toham Mountain, Girim dates all the way back to 643 and was the largest until 1945.
Pass through the impressive entrance gate and follow the wooded path beside the stream until you reach the temple complex with its 16 religious buildings.
Start at one of the original sites, the Daejeokgwang-jeon with its intricately carved doorway. Step inside to see the worship hall’s three Buddha statues, with Vairocana (Birojana-bul) in the middle.
Inside the nearby Ungjin-jeon, admire the hundreds of carved wooden Nahan figures.
Stroll to the Samcheonbul-jeon in the next courtyard to see the wonderful sight of 3,000 seated Buddhas surrounding Seokgomani, the Historical Buddha.
The temple’s “bo” (a big fig tree) and the gilded Bodhisattva of Compassion, Gwanseeum-bosal, are both around 500 years old. The courtyard fountain was famous for its Ojong-su, the five different tastes of its water: gamro for tea hwajeong for comfort janggun for strength myeongan for vision and brightly sparkling otak to attract birds.
Girim-sa is open year round, except during special ceremonies. Entrance and parking fees apply. If you don’t have a car, it’s not expensive to take a taxi. Or, you can opt to take the bus and hike the rest. First head to the Gyeongju Bus Terminal, hop on the bus to Gampo or Yangnam and disembark at the Andong-ri intersection near Yangbuk-myeon Eoil-ri, from where you can walk to the temple complex in about 40 minutes.
Combine your visit to Girim-sa with a visit to its former monastery, Golgul-sa, just down the road. This complex with grottos is now a famous training center of seonmudo, a Buddhist martial art.
