The Outer Corridor of Hwangnyongsa Temple is a Monk's Practice Space

National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute Publishes Report 'Hwangnyongsa Excavation Report II - East Corridor East Side Area'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jonggil Lee] Research has revealed that the outer area of the eastern corridor of Hwangnyongsa Temple in Gyeongju, known as the greatest temple of the Silla Kingdom, was a space where monks practiced asceticism or conducted rituals.

The National Gyeongju Cultural Heritage Research Institute published a report in December last year titled "Hwangnyongsa Excavation Report II - Eastern District of the East Corridor," analyzing the remains outside the eastern corridor of Hwangnyongsa, unearthed artifacts, and contemporary Chinese temple architectural styles. According to the report, lamps, inkstones, and Chinese celadon vessels were discovered in zones 1 to 4 of the eastern district of the east corridor. Based on this, the report argues that "it was likely not an open public facility but a solitary space for ascetic practice or a space for rituals."

The eastern side of the east corridor is divided into seven spaces along large and small walls, covering a total area of 4,300 square meters. In each space, remains of one to three buildings along with artifacts such as roof tiles and pottery were excavated. The report views this layout as similar to the "multi-courtyard temple complex" found in Buddhist temples of the Tang Dynasty in Chang'an, China. It states, "Hwangnyongsa revealed many large and small buildings outside the corridor and north of the lecture hall," and analyzes that "the eastern side of the east corridor is a formal space partitioned by walls similar to the multi-courtyard temple complex, but the scale of each space is smaller than that of Chinese temples."

This report is the first to be published in 35 years since the initial report. It includes a detailed study of the excavation results, remains, building layouts, and artifact information. The first report, published in 1984, contained investigation results about the central part of the temple inside the corridor, including the Geumdang (main hall housing the principal Buddha), wooden pagoda, lecture hall, bell tower, and scripture repository pavilion. The institute plans to publish an additional report on the area north of the lecture hall and to disclose the excavation results of the western side of the west corridor, which has been ongoing since 2018.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.