Chukseosa Temple Yaksaam Hermitage Great Hero Hall: Vairocana Buddha

SOUTH KOREA, North Gyeongsang, Bonghwa; Unified Silla dynasty

The Buddha is enshrined in the Great Hero Hall at Yaksaam Hermitage of Chukseosa Temple. From a reliquary found inside a stone pagoda at the temple, researchers determined that the pagoda was erected in 867. It is inferred that the Vairocana Buddha dates from that time.
The figure is identified by the hands forming the bodhyangi (wisdom fist) mudra. A gem is located on top of the usnisa. The delicate features are applied with paint and the three lines on the neck are faintly visible. The statue is coated with thick shell power and heavily over-painted. The throne, however, has been left unpainted and is made from granite and measures 96 cm high. The decorative wooden mandorla at the back is of a later date.