Maisan Tapsa Temple

SOUTH KOREA, North Jeolla, Jinan

Maisan Tapsa means Stupa Temple on Horse Ear Mountain. Within the temple compound there are numerous handmade stone stupas. The temple is located in Maisan Provincial Park and was built in 1885 by a hermit named Yi Gap Yong, who took nearly 30 years to complete its construction. He erected over 100 conical stupas, of which 82 still exist today. Yi built all these natural stone stupas by hand without the use of mortar.
The stone stupas are of different sizes, reaching as high as 9 m. They were piled up using stones which Yi collected from mountains and rivers across the nation, as well as stones he obtained in the local area. Among them, there are some marvelous towers, namely the Five Direction Stupa, Sunlight Stupa, and Moonlight Stupa. The Stupas of Maisan Mountain were listed as Provincial Monument No. 35 in 1976.
Other than the stone stupas, structures within the temple compound include the Great Hero Hall, Mountain Deity Shrine, and bell tower. The three-bay wide Great Hero Hall has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. The hall houses a statue of Sakyamuni Buddha.
There is also a large standing statue of Maitreya Buddha within the temple grounds, as well as a statue of Yi Gap Yong outside one of the stupas. When devotees come to this temple to pay respect to the Buddha, they sometimes gather stones along the road and erect their own stone stupas as a way of making offerings and vows.