Kwanumsa Temple Great Hero Hall

NORTH KOREA, North Hwanghae, Kaesong

The Great Hero Hall is located within Kwanumsa, which means Avalokitesvara Temple. The temple is very well-known in Korea because the kings of the Goryeo dynasty came here to pay homage to the Buddha. The temple was built in 970 at the suggestion of National Master Beopin, and was expanded in 1383 during the Goryeo dynasty. However, it was destroyed by fire during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). The Great Hero Hall was rebuilt in 1646 during the Joseon dynasty, and is listed as National Treasure No. 125.
The three-by-three bay Great Hero Hall measures 8.4 m by 6.6 m and stands on a high platform. It has a single-eave hip roof and the extended eaves have elegantly curved edges. The tapered central and corner columns support the roof with bracket sets decorated with dragon heads. The exterior and interior bracket sets are seven-tier and nine-tier respectively, with cantilever ends resembling ox tongues. The hall houses statues of a Buddha and two Bodhisattvas, above which there is a two-tier structure with imitation upward-curving eaves. There are ornamental phoenixes and cranes hanging from the ceiling. The floral latticework on the door panels is intricate and elaborate, especially on the back doors. A seven-tier stone pagoda stands in front of the hall.