Anhwasa
Encyclopedia
Anhwa-sa is a Korean Buddhist temple located on Mt. Songak
in the historic city of Kaesong
, North Korea
. Once one of the smallest of the many temples in Kaesong, today it is the only one to have survived the Korean War.
dynasty in 930 AD. Its location, on the south face of Mt. Songak, was specifically chosen for its good feng shui
. During the Yi dynasty,the government funded several restorations of the buildings. The temple suffered some damage from US bombings during the Korean War
, including the destruction of Myongbu Hall . Today, there remains Taeung Hall , the temple's main shrine; Obaek Hall filled with innumerable small Buddhist statues; and the monks' living quarters and kitchen. There is also a stone pagoda dating to the original Koryo-dynasty temple.
Mt. Songak
Mt. Songak is a simple volcano which has double craters and a parasitic volcano. Crater 1 is about 500 m in diameter, 1.7 km in circumference. Crater 2, the mouth of the volcano in Crater 1, is about 400 m in diameter, 69 m in depth and leans vertically....
in the historic city of Kaesong
Kaesong
Kaesŏng is a city in North Hwanghae Province, southern North Korea , a former Directly Governed City, and the capital of Korea during the Koryo Dynasty. The city is near Kaesŏng Industrial Region and it contains the remains of the Manwoldae palace. It was formally named Songdo while it was the...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
. Once one of the smallest of the many temples in Kaesong, today it is the only one to have survived the Korean War.
History
Anhwa Temple was founded under the KoryoGoryeo
The Goryeo Dynasty or Koryŏ was a Korean dynasty established in 918 by Emperor Taejo. Korea gets its name from this kingdom which came to be pronounced Korea. It united the Later Three Kingdoms in 936 and ruled most of the Korean peninsula until it was removed by the Joseon dynasty in 1392...
dynasty in 930 AD. Its location, on the south face of Mt. Songak, was specifically chosen for its good feng shui
Feng shui
Feng shui ' is a Chinese system of geomancy believed to use the laws of both Heaven and Earth to help one improve life by receiving positive qi. The original designation for the discipline is Kan Yu ....
. During the Yi dynasty,the government funded several restorations of the buildings. The temple suffered some damage from US bombings during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, including the destruction of Myongbu Hall . Today, there remains Taeung Hall , the temple's main shrine; Obaek Hall filled with innumerable small Buddhist statues; and the monks' living quarters and kitchen. There is also a stone pagoda dating to the original Koryo-dynasty temple.