Tomb of King Munmu
문무대왕릉
A rock outcrop in the sea, held to be the grave of the king who completed Silla's unification of the Three Kingdoms. It lies offshore from Bonggil-ri, cannot be landed on, and the visit consists of looking at a rock some two hundred metres out from Bonggil Beach. It faces due east, so people gather here at sunrise. It is a little over thirty kilometres east of central Gyeongju, too far to fold into a day among the city-centre tombs.
Language
Place information
- Korean name
- 문무대왕릉
- Address
- Offshore from Bonggil-ri, Yangbuk-myeon, Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
- Getting there
- Bus Bus 150 · Munmuwangneung / Bonggil Beach stop (문무왕릉, 봉길해수욕장, ID 02-057, Bus 150)
- Operated by
- Gyeongju City
History
King Munmu continued the work of his father, King Taejong Muyeol, defeating Goguryeo and repelling Tang invasions to unify the Three Kingdoms. He established central offices including the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Granaries, and laid the foundations for the five secondary capitals and the Nine Oath Bannermen and Ten Garrisons. According to the Samguk Sagi, he is said to have left instructions on his death that he be cremated according to Buddhist custom and buried in the East Sea, where he would become a dragon and stop Japanese raiders entering by sea. His son, King Sinmun, built Gameunsa near the East Sea and designed a channel beneath its worship hall facing the sea so that King Munmu, as a dragon, could come and go.
24 July 1967
Designation as a Historic Site
28 July 2011
Renaming as Gyeongju Tomb of King Munmu
What to see
Daewangam
Daewangam was made from a natural rock, with artificial channels cut inside it in four directions; seawater enters from the east and leaves to the west, keeping the interior calm. Below the water a flat, turtle-shaped stone measuring 3.7 by 2.06 metres lies north to south, and King Munmu's remains are thought to be buried within it; above sea level the rock shows about 35 metres east to west, 36 metres north to south and 5.3 metres in height.
Gameunsa site
The site of Gameunsa survives on the land facing Daewangam. The temple is said to have been completed by King Munmu's son, King Sinmun, in accordance with his father's wishes.
Daewangam selected
Nearby
Stories about this place
- A Day in Eastern Gyeongju by Bus: Bulguksa and Seokguram
A one-day bus route from Gyeongju’s terminal to Bulguksa and Seokguram, with free admission, seasonal last-entry times, parking charges and the transfer to bus 12.
Nearby Food
Related articles
Where these facts come from
- Korea Heritage Portal — the Historic Site 'Tomb of King Munmu, Gyeongju', which places it in the sea off Bonggil-ri in Yangbuk-myeon, dates the designation to 24 July 1967, gives the period as Silla and the class as a royal tomb, names Gyeongju City as the managing body, and carries its coordinates ·
- Gyeongju Culture and Tourism — the 「Bus 150 버스타GO」 east-coast route guide. It gives Bus 150's first departure from the express/intercity terminal at 06:45 and last at 21:40, and from Yangnam first at 06:25 and last at 20:50, with a headway of 40–50 minutes. It is 50 minutes to an hour by bus from the Gyeongju city area to Yangnam-myeon, and about 40–45 minutes from the terminal to the route's first stop. For the Tomb of King Munmu it names the stop to get off at as 문무왕릉, 봉길해수욕장 (stop ID 02-057) and gives the walk from that stop as 3–5 minutes. Bus 150-1 detours through the Bomun resort district. ·
- Gyeongju City, King Munmu Maritime History Museum — the underwater tomb ·