The dome
Grass-covered.
Christophe95 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · by eimoberg — CC BY 2.0 · by eimoberg — CC BY 2.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0
Seokguram is a hermitage and grotto on Tohamsan mountain east of Gyeongju, South Korea, part of the Bulguksa temple complex about three kilometres away. The grotto looks out to the East Sea from 750 metres up. It was named a National Treasure in 1962 and inscribed with Bulguksa as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. It is said to have been built by Kim Dae-seong, was first called Seokbulsa, and was begun in 751 at the height of Unified Silla. It is regarded as one of the finest examples of religious sculpture in the world. From outside you see a grass-covered stone dome set into the mountainside, with a small wooden building in front under a curved grey roof painted beneath the eaves. A stone path climbs to it through the forest, hung with coloured lanterns in spring, and from the top a view stretches over the mountains towards the sea. It is about 13 km from central Gyeongju in a straight line. The grotto is a place of worship; photography is not allowed inside, and it is viewed from behind a glass screen.
Grass-covered.
Coloured lanterns.
Towards the sea.
Tohamsan mountain, east of Gyeongju, South Korea
No, not inside the grotto.
About three kilometres.
