Haedong Yonggungsa, Busan, South Korea

On a recent trip to South Korea I was fortunate enough to visit the Haedong Yonggung Buddhist Temple located in the north east of Busan.  The temple was originally constructed in the 1300’s, and was subsequently destroyed in the late 1500’s when the Japanese invaded Korea.  The temple was rebuilt in 1930’s.

The temple is a popular sightseeing destination for both international visitors and locals, and visiting on a Sunday, and the time being close to the celebration of Buddha’s birthday, the temple was packed with hundreds of visitors.  The temple was situated on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea, and one of the few in Korea to be built in such a location.
The walk to the temple began with a line of market stalls, with vendors selling a variety of street food, drinks and souvenirs.  The path then passed a row of animal statues representing the signs of the zodiac.

If you know which year you were born in on the lunar calendar, it’s a great opportunity to get a photograph with your zodiac animal.

With the celebration of Buddha’s birthday approaching the path was lined with hundreds of coloured paper lanterns.

The path was uneven and rocky in some places and there were some steep rocky stairs to negotiate.  The large amount of elderly people making the journey to the temple resulted in slow progress.

Rather than proceeding to the temple itself, I took and alternate path that lead to a rocky outcrop home to a golden statue of Buddha.  The path offered a picturesque view of the temple on its cliff side location.

Unfortunately, I was on a tight schedule and didn’t have much time to explore Haedong Yonggungsa thoroughly, however my whirlwind visit was better than not visiting at all.