Woljeongsa (월정사) | buddhist temple

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Woljeongsa is Korean Buddhist Temple located on the eastern slopes of Odae Mountain in Gangwon province.

Woljeongsa was founded in 643 by the Silla monk Jajang. It is said that, on this mountain, Master Jajang chanted and on the seventh night after chanting he had a vision in which the Buddha gave him a poem with four lines in Sanskrit.

Next day, a monk came and remarked that the master looked pale and troubled. Master Jajang explained that he had received a poem he could not understand. The mysterious monk explained the verses and then told Jajang to go to Odaesan in Shilla where he would find 10,000 Manjusris.

After seven more days of chanting, a dragon appeared who told Jajang that the old monk had been a Manjusri and that now he must go and build a temple to the Bodhisattva that became Woljeongsa.

Woljeonsa'a Octagonal Nine Story Stone Pagoda is called the Sari-pagoda (relic pagoda. The pagoda is believed to have been constructed in the 10th century. It is a multi-angled stone pagoda standing 15.2 meters/50 foot high and is representative of the multi-storied pagodas popular during the Goryo Period, especially in the northern regions of Korea.

Pillars on the pagoda are delicately carved into each corner of the upper face of the stone. The shape of the first tier and the door-frame images on all sides of the stone body along with the horizontal roof stone is representative of the Goryeo Period.

A flat stone base has been laid over the original base and is carved with lotus flowers and other images. The presently exposed stone base is not the original, with the original now resting below the surface.


The roof and body stone structure of the nine stories gives this pagoda a feeling of stability. The thin body, curved corners, door-frame on the lower body and the variations in the octagonal shape illustrate the unique and aristocratic characteristics of the Goryeo era Buddhist culture.

Woljeonsa'a Octagonal Nine Story Stone Pagoda is National Treasure number 48.