Pagyesa Temple

SOUTH KOREA, Daegu

Pagyesa means Keeping Stream Temple, which refers to the convergence of the nine streams in the valley around the temple. It was built by the royal monk Simji in 804 during the Unified Silla dynasty.
At the center of the temple compound is the Perfect Understanding Hall, which forms a rectangular configuration with Calm Hole Pavilion, meditation hall, and Hall of Silence. Other buildings include the Pavilion of Prayer for Yeongjo, Mountain Spirit Shrine, and bell pavilion.
The Perfect Understanding Hall is the main building of the temple. It was rebuilt by Master Gyegwan in 1605 during the Joseon dynasty and again by Master Hyeonung in 1695. The hall stands on a natural rock. It is a three-by-three bay structure with a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. A wooden seated statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is enshrined within the hall, and it is therefore also known as Avalokitesvara Hall.
The seven-by-seven bay meditation hall, built in 1623 during the Joseon dynasty and reconstructed several times, has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof. This simple structure is currently used as a dining hall and a lecture hall. The Pavilion of Prayer for Yeongjo was built in 1752 by Master Hyeonung. Built on a granite platform, the structure has a single-eave hip-and-gable roof and is three bays wide.
The temple has in its collection two Treasures, which are a wooden seated statue of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and a painting of the Buddha Teaching at Vulture Peak.