Sanbang san Mountain in Jeju

The Sanbang-san Mountain is near Jeju’s southwest coast and can bee seen from miles around. Sanbang-san literally means Mountain-Room Mountain where the words mountain-room refers to its famous cave called Sanbang-gul which literally gives you the impression of a room carved out in the mountain. The Sanbang-san Mountain is a queer bell-shaped mountain with a sheer stone cliff. Sanbang-san Mountain rises rather abruptly 395 meters from otherwise flat grasslands near the southern coast. There is a small, 10-meter long cave with fresh water dripping from the roof. The mountain also contains two large temples: Sanbang-gul-sa was built inside a cave during the Koryo Dynasty (918-1392), and Bobong-sa or the Bomun-sa, a large temple just off the coastal road.

The Sanbang-san has a rather interesting legend which explains its odd shape. Legend has it that a mighty hunter was shooting arrows at the white deer near the peak of Halla-san, but missed and shot the Halla Spirit or the King of Heaven on his rear. The angry Halla-san-shin ripped the peak of the mountain off and threw it at the hunter. The portion where he tore of the mountain from became Sanbang-sa and the resulting crater became the Baek-rok-dam Crater or Paengnoktam. It fell on the South West coast, crushing the hunter to death. However, he was then reborn as the (female) San-shin of this small but important mountain.

The Sanbang-gul translates to Mountain-Room Cave and is high up on the slope above those two temples. It is a steep 15-minute climb on stairs but is a worth a see as it is the only cave-shrine on Jeju, and has long been famous for Buddhist worship. The Goryeo Dynasty Zen monk Hye-Il (964~1053) had resided here for some time. Fresh water continuously falls at its rear, and collects in pools up the stairs; visitors drink it and make prayers before it. Popular lore says that if you drink three sips of it, you will be blessed with a long life and good health.

It is also said that the Sanbang-San-shin became enlightened as a Bodhisattva of Compassion, and the water that seeps from the roof of the cave are the tears that she sheds for all the pain and suffering in this world.

The Sanbang-san Mountains is also a famous for its nearby field of rapeseed flowers which bloom fully in spring. The sight of acres and acres of fields covered with these cheerful yellow flowers with the queer bell-shaped mountain in the background is not a sight you want to miss.