Geumsan Boriam Hermitage

In 683, Wonhyo Daesa built a hermitage here and engaged in Buddhist practice, after which he beheld Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and thus named the mountain Bogwangsan and the hermitage Bogwangsa. Later, Yi Seong-gye performed a hundred-day prayer vigil at this location and founded the Joseon Dynasty, and in gratitude, King Hyeonjong in 1660 designated this temple as a royal prayer temple and renamed the mountain Geumsan and the hermitage Boriam. Located at the summit of Geumsan, Boriam is a beautiful temple from which one can see at a glance all manner of strange rock formations of Geumsan and the verdant scenery of the southern sea. Within the temple grounds, a meditation rock called Jwaseon-dae where Wonhyo Daesa is said to have meditated draws attention, and nearby the rock cave called Ssanghong Gate is known as the finest among the 38 scenic spots of Geumsan. Along with Hongnyeon Hermitage of Naksan Temple in Yangyang-gun, Gangwon Province and Bomun Temple on Ganghwa Island, Gyeonggi Province, it is one of Korea's three great places of prayer, with believers continually visiting in steady streams. Geumsan, which is called a rock animal zoo due to its outstanding scenery and the abundance of rocks shaped like animals in the southern sea, has Boriam at its summit in Hallyeo Haesang National Park where one can enjoy beautiful views overlooking the indigo sea and verdant fields; Boriam, the most famous among Korea's three great places of prayer founded by Wonhyo Daesa, stands here. Additionally, Geumsan preserves legends related to Buddhism on each rock, and Boriam is surrounded by unusual rock formations including Daejangbong, Hyeongni Hermitage, Hwaeom Peak, Ilwol Peak, and Sambul Hermitage. The hiking course from the Geumsan entrance in Sangjumaeul village up to Boriam is an excellent mountain route harmonizing dense forest and the southern sea, and a sunrise viewed from Geumsan after spending a night there is so spectacular that one cannot but feel the harmony of heaven and earth. By automobile, a road is laid from over the Aeng Ridge through Bukgol in Idong-myeon, past Bokgok Reservoir to the 8-part ridge of Geumsan.

Korea Tourism Organization