Daejeon Temple in Daejeon
South Korea - Daegu - Incheon - Jeju - Seoul - Daejeon
The Daejeon Temple in Daejeon is of immense importance as far as the religious life of the city as well as the people is concerned. Narrating an interesting story, the Daejeon Temple is one of its kinds in Daejeon. Giving rise to a feeling of awe and respect, the Daejeon temple is the major temple located in the Juwang Mountains.
According to the history of the temple, the Daejeon Temple is around 1000 years old. During the rein of the Chosun dynasty and according to the daily rituals, a priest used to serve Lord Buddha by fetching water from a nearby stream. But owing to the tired nature of the work, the priest dug up a well in front the temple after consulting the other priests. Very soon after the well was dug up, the Temple caught fire by accident and was completely burned down. During the course of finding the reason behind this calamity, a sacred ground discoverer came to the conclusion that the Daejeon Temple resembled a ship floating in the middle of the ocean and digging the well in the middle of the courtyard meant digging up a hole in the ship and sinking it. The same thing happened in the case of the Daejeon Temple as it was destroyed in the fire entirely. Later, the well was filled up but the scar remains fresh till date in the temple courtyard.
Features of Daejeon Temple in Daejeon
• There are two dates in history related to the construction time of the Daejeon Temple. Some say it was built during the reign of the Shinra King Munmu by the founder priest named Uisang in 672. Others are of the opinion that the temple came into existence during the 6 th ruling year of the Shinra queen Jinseong. The Temple was said to be founded by Priest Nanggong in 892.
• Before the Japanese invasion in 1592, the Temple Premises had 4 buildings, four extremely beautiful statues of Lord Buddha, a set of twin tower and three pavilions. Unfortunately much of the temple was destroyed during the invasion.
• The Daejeon Temple was again rebuild in the year 1672 and additions of a roofed tile and color was done in 1976.
• There were further additions to the Daejeon Temple in 1988. The Disciplining Hall, The Conference Hall and the Incense room were all added to enhance the grandeur of the Daejeon Temple.
• With time, in 1995, the Underworld Shrine of the Mountain God was also accepted in its domain.
