Mireuksa Temple Site

미륵사지

South Korea · Jeonbuk

Temple / ritual siteIntermittent excavationUNESCO · 2015
Approximate period600 CE — 1,600 CEBaekje; use extending into the Unified Silla and Joseon periods See on the map ↓

In brief

Long-term excavations at the Mireuksa site in Iksan revealed a layout consisting of three pagodas and three worship halls. Relic finds in the western stone pagoda and the record dated 639 are key evidence for dating the structure.

What was found?

  • 1Sarira reliquaries

    The sacred relic assemblage found in the stone pagoda includes precious metal objects such as a gold inner container. It documents the importance attached to preserving Buddhist relics and the metalworking of the period.

  • 2Gold inscription dated 639

    The gold plaque records the enshrinement of the sacred relics in 639 and the donation by the Baekje queen, the daughter of Sataek Jeokdeok. It provides direct contemporary information about the temple's patrons.

  • 3Foundations of three pagodas and worship halls

    Excavations revealed three separate pagoda and worship hall units arranged side by side. Separated by corridors, these units connected to a shared lecture hall to the north.

  • 4Water channels and traces of a pond

    Artificial water channels, bridges, and traces of a large pond to the south were identified. These reveal the drainage system designed to establish the temple on waterlogged ground.

What does it point to?

Mireuksa shows how Buddhist worship combined with royal patronage and a large construction organization. According to researchers, the threefold plan is associated with the three sermons of Maitreya, the Buddha of the future; the water structures show that engineering, alongside faith, played a decisive role in the temple's establishment.

What did it teach us?

  1. The gold inscription directly documented the queen's donation and the date when the sacred relics were enshrined.
  2. Excavations revealed the temple plan, which linked three separate worship units to a shared lecture hall.
  3. It showed how waterlogged ground was transformed into a large architectural complex through planned water channels and drainage.

Images

Flagpole Supports at Mireuksa Temple Site 20250224 (02)
LandAndTree · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Record

Culture
Baekje and later Korean Buddhist traditions
Team / historical
National Research Institute of Cultural Heritage of Korea
Coordinates
36.0117°, 127.0308°

Sources

  1. whc.unesco.org
  2. oak.go.kr
  3. tandfonline.com
  4. Baekje Tarihî Alanları Koruma ve Yönetim Merkezi — Mireuksa
  5. Iksan Ulusal Müzesi — Altın kutsal emanet yazıtı
  6. RISS — Mireuksa kutsal emanet takımındaki altın eserlerin malzeme araştırması

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