Designation Number: Treasure No.226

Date of Designation: January 21, 1963

Age: Goryeo Dynasty

Location: 282 Cheonsong-ri, Yeoju-eup, Yeoju-gun, Gyeonggi-do(Inside Silleuksa Temple)

Introduction

There is a multi-storied brick temple on a great rock beside a river flowing on the southeast side of Silleuksa Temple. This pagoda was made with piled up bricks, and records show that Silleuksa Temple used to be called the wall temple. This pagoda can easily be seen by visitors to Silleuksa Temple and also by boatmen crossing the river. As a result, this pagoda has become more famous than the name of Silleuksa Temple. The temple was called the wall temple as this pagoda seems like a wall made up of piled bricks. Some people assume that this pagoda was built in the Silla age, but it seems more reasonable to conclude that this pagoda was built in the Goryeo age when we inspect the pagoda’s design. This pagoda seems to have been built in 1726 (2nd year of King Yeongjo of Joseon). Overall, this pagoda is quite high due to its seven-storied stylobate. It is notable that the stylobate is made of granite. The reason for this characteristic seems to be to increase the pagoda’s height to attract people’s attention because the pagoda is on a hill beside a river. While bricks are densely packed in the case of Silla brick pagodas, these bricks are loosely arranged in this pagoda and there are lotus flowers engraved in half-circles on the bricks. The well preserved top part of the pagoda includes decorations made with bricks and granite. Even though this pagoda has lost its original shape due to repairs, it still seems to be faithfully playing its role as a guard protecting Silleuksa Temple by its placement standing high on a rock.

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