Regional Temple Treasures Come to Seoul... 'Baegamsan Baekyangsa' Special Exhibition

Opening on the 8th at the Buddhist Central Museum... 132 Items Including Geonchilbul on Display

Baekyangsa, a thousand-year-old temple, is located on Baegamsan Mountain in Jangseong, Jeollanam-do. It boasts outstanding beauty, harmonizing with the picturesque valley and temple buildings. It was founded in 632 by Monk Yeohwandae, who named it Baekyangsa, and during the reign of King Myeongjong of Goryeo, Monk Jungyeon renovated it and renamed it Jeongtosa. Many eminent monks practiced asceticism here, leaving behind numerous Buddhist relics. These statues and Buddhist paintings are now being revealed to the public.

At a press conference held on the 5th at the Jogye Order Buddhist Central Museum, Museum Director Monk Seobong announced that the special exhibition "Baegamsan Baekyangsa" will be held from the 8th until December 10. He explained that the event was organized to introduce Baekyangsa’s relics and the Buddhist culture of the Jeollanam-do region.

Seated Jizo Bodhisattva Statue at Myeongbujeon Hall, Baekyangsa Temple [Photo courtesy of the Buddhist Central Museum]

The exhibition features 132 artifacts in 92 categories of sacred treasures, including 8 national treasures. For the first time, the 'Naju Bulhosa Painted Lacquered Birojana Buddha Seated Statue (National Treasure)' and the 'Naju Simhyangsa Painted Lacquered Amitabha Buddha Seated Statue (National Treasure)' from the late Goryeo period, along with the 'Naju Jugrimsa Painted Lacquered Amitabha Buddha Seated Statue (Tangible Cultural Property)' from the early Joseon period, are gathered in one place. Painted lacquered Buddha statues (Geonchilbul, 乾漆佛) are made by repeatedly applying lacquer over a frame constructed from hemp cloth or paper.

Recently, the 'Joseongpilgonggi,' a vow inscription (a text recording wishes made to Buddha), confirmed the creation date of the 'Jijangbosal Seated Statue' as 1654, which is being exhibited for the first time. Jijangbosal (Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva) is a bodhisattva believed to have the power to save beings in hell and is enshrined in the Myeongbujeon (Underworld Hall) or Jijangjeon (Ksitigarbha Hall), where rituals such as the Cheondojae and 49-day memorial services are held.

The oldest large Buddhist painting (Gwaebul) in Korea, the Jugrimsa 'Sejon Gwaebultang,' is also on display for visitors. Additionally, the 1777 Yeonggwang Bulgapsa 'Jijangsiwangdo' and the 1892 Baekyangsa Cheongryuam 'Sinjungdo' are exhibited.

Jukrimsa Sejon Gwaebultang Photo by Buddhist Central Museum

However, some national cultural assets within Baekyangsa are excluded from the exhibition. The 'Soyodaesa Pagoda,' believed to have been created in 1650, the 1607 'Wooden Amitabha Buddha Seated Statue' enshrined in Geungnakbojeon, and the 1775 'Amitabha Assembly Painting' are not included due to their large size, which makes transportation and exhibition difficult.

The opening ceremony will be held on the 7th at 3 p.m. in the underground performance hall of the Korean Buddhist History and Culture Memorial Hall. The joint procession and enshrinement ceremony for the sacred treasures and large Buddhist paintings being moved from the region to Seoul will take place on the morning of the opening day.

Monk Seobong stated, "These precious relics have taken a long journey from Jeollanam-do," and added, "We will strive to have these highly valuable sacred treasures elevated to National Treasure or Treasure status."

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