Kumgangsan Jeongyangsa Temple

NORTH KOREA, Kangwon, Hoeyang

The temple is located on Kumgangsan (Diamond Mountain). It was built in the year 600 during the Baekje dynasty and reconstructed in 661 during the Silla dynasty. According to the records, the temple was repaired during the visit of King Taejo (reigned 918–943) of the Goryeo dynasty. Judging from this, the temple was probably neglected for quite some time and then later restored. The temple was repaired again in 1326 during the Goryeo dynasty, and it underwent a few renovations during the Joseon dynasty (1392–1910). It is listed as National Treasure No. 99.
The structures within the temple include the Prajna Hall, Medicine Buddha Hall, Sacred Mountain Hall, Judgment Hall, three-tier stone pagoda, stone lantern, and living quarters. A number of buildings, such as the Sacred Mountain Hall and Judgment Hall, were heavily damaged during the Korean War in 1950.
The three-by-three bay Prajna Hall has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof with five-tier bracket sets on the exterior and seven-tier bracket sets in the interior. The Medicine Buddha Hall has a hexagonal pyramidal roof, each side of which is 3 m long. In the center of the roof there is an inverted lotus, crescent, and jewel. The roof is supported by seven-tier bracket sets on the exterior, while thirteen-tier bracket sets are used in the interior. The internal structure of the building is unusual, with beams and columns replaced by bracket sets to support the roof.