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Underwater Tomb of King Munmu in South Korea is located off the Bonggil Beach on a tiny rocky islet in East Sea. The king expressed his wishes to be buried in the East Sea after his death so that he would become a dragon in afterlife and protect the Shilla Kingdom from the Japanese intruders. The rocky island, about 200 meters in circumference, is divided by a cross-shaped waterway, forming a pool at the center. The tomb is located at Bonggil-ri, Yangbuk-myeon in Gyeongju-si.
Features of Underwater Tomb of King Munmu in South Korea
- King Munmu (661-681 A.D.) unified the three kingdoms and became the 30th ruler of the Silla Kingdom.
- There is a granite rock at the bottom of the pool under which the cremated remains of King Munmu are supposedly buried.
- The debate is still on whether the ashes of the King Munmu were scattered or stored in an urn and placed under the granite.
- The granite is 3.6 meters long, 2.9 meters wide and 0.9 meters thick.
- It is another experience to visit the underwater tomb when the beauty of the landscape is at its best in the autumn.
- Underwater Tomb of King Munmu is one of the few attractions of Gyeongju where no admission fee is charged and is open all year round 24 hours.
- You can take city bus No. 150 from the Gyeongju Intercity Bus Terminal and get off at the Underwater tomb of King Munmu after a 50 minutes' ride.
- Don't miss the nearby attraction of the Gameunsa Temple where the sacrificial rites were performed for the King.
- The foundation of the temple and the three-story stone pagoda remains while other structures have been ravaged.
- The pagoda is one of the oldest and the most beautiful pagodas in Korea from the Silla Era.
- Take just a 10-15 minutes' walk from the Underwater Tomb of King Munmu and you will reach this place.
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