Unified Silla and the Golden Age of Korean Buddhism

Silla after the Three Kingdoms were joined is usually called Unified Silla, and what was built in that period accounts for most of what you go to Gyeongju to see.

The word "unified" needs handling with care, though. The encyclopedia records that the appearance of Tang did considerable damage to that unification, so that Liaodong — an important Goguryeo region — was handed over to them, and it calls the period that followed the Northern and Southern States period of Balhae and Silla. In other words, this is not one state covering the whole peninsula, but Silla in the south and Balhae in the north.

At a glance

There were two states after 'unification'
The period is called the Northern and Southern States period of Balhae and Silla. Liaodong went to Tang.
Bulguksa and Seokguram are one set
Seokguram is a grotto belonging to Bulguksa, and the two were inscribed together as World Heritage in 1995.
The founding date may not be 751
Documents found in the Seokgatap pagoda moved Bulguksa's founding date to 742.
The stone is original, the wood is not
The two pagodas and stonework keep their original form; the restored wooden buildings mix period styles.

Why Bulguksa and Seokguram always appear together

They are not two separate attractions. Seokguram is a grotto belonging to Bulguksa, the head temple of the 11th district of the Jogye Order, and that is why the two were inscribed together as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

The Samguk Yusa makes the relationship plainer still. It records that Kim Dae-seong (700–774) founded Bulguksa for his parents in this life and built Seokbulsa for his parents in a previous life. One man, two temples — so seeing only one is seeing half the story.

Seokguram is described as the essence of Silla's cultural heritage, realising the Buddha-land through an artificial grotto, and was designated a National Treasure on 20 December 1962. The key point is that it is not a natural cave: it is a chamber people built out of stone.

Why the date on the sign changed — 751 and 742

You will probably see 751 on site, but the scholarly judgement has already moved once.

The Samguk Yusa records a founding by Kim Dae-seong in 751, the tenth year of King Gyeongdeok. However, documents found in the Seokgatap pagoda, recently deciphered and annotated, state that construction of Bulguksa's two pagodas began in 742 — the year Gyeongdeok acceded, and before Kim Dae-seong became a chief minister — and was finished in the reign of King Hyegong. On this basis the founding date has been corrected.

The reason those documents carry more weight is given too: they predate the Samguk Yusa by roughly 250 years, which makes them highly reliable. On the same grounds, Seokguram's founding may also be earlier than 751, with design and planning possibly beginning around 742.

One further detail is worth noticing. The Samguk Yusa says Kim Dae-seong began the work in 751 but died in 774 without seeing it finished, and the state completed the building in his place. Because a temple begun by a private individual was finished by the state, it has been argued that Bulguksa was a temple for the Silla royal house rather than Kim Dae-seong's private foundation.

Which parts are original and which are reconstruction

This is the single most useful distinction to carry around Gyeongju.

Bulguksa's main halls burned during the Imjin War and were rebuilt in the seventeenth century, and the 1970s restoration gave it its present appearance.

So what stands there is two layers. The two pagodas and the stonework keep their form from the founding, while the restored wooden buildings mix period styles.

In practice: when you are looking at the stairways, the stone terraces, Seokgatap and Dabotap, you are looking at the eighth century. When you are looking at brightly painted timber buildings, you are looking at twentieth-century restoration work. Knowing that in advance heads off the common disappointment that the place "looks newer than expected".

Records say Bulguksa was rebuilt nine times after Kim Dae-seong's construction, through repairs in 887 in late Silla and in 1024 under King Hyeonjong of Goryeo, and repeatedly again in the Joseon period. That the repairs continued even under Joseon's policy of suppressing Buddhism and promoting Confucianism shows the temple never lost its standing.

How to see this period

There are two halves to a Unified Silla itinerary.

One is central Gyeongju, where royal tombs, an observatory, palace grounds and a pond sit within walking range of one another. The other is Tohamsan: Bulguksa and Seokguram are out of town, on the western and eastern sides of the same mountain.

With a single day, splitting it between the city and the mountain is the realistic plan. Opening hours and admission change with the season and with operating policy, so check each place's own page from the cards below.

Set your expectations for Seokguram before the climb. You view the main Buddha through a glass wall. It is a conservation measure, and there is no walking around inside the chamber. Not knowing this is what turns the uphill walk into a disappointment.

Where to go for Unified Silla

Frequently asked questions

When was Bulguksa founded?

The Samguk Yusa records a founding by Kim Dae-seong in 751, but documents found in the Seokgatap pagoda state that work on the two pagodas began in 742, the year King Gyeongdeok acceded, so the founding date has been corrected to 742.

Do I need to visit Bulguksa and Seokguram separately?

They are one set. Seokguram is a grotto belonging to Bulguksa and the two were inscribed together as World Heritage in 1995. They sit on the western and eastern sides of Tohamsan.

Is the Bulguksa I see today the original building?

Only partly. The main halls burned in the Imjin War, were rebuilt in the seventeenth century, and the 1970s restoration produced the present appearance. The two pagodas and stonework keep their original form, but the restored wooden buildings mix period styles.

Did 'Unified Silla' unify the whole peninsula?

No. The period after unification is called the Northern and Southern States period of Balhae and Silla. Tang's involvement also meant that Liaodong, an important Goguryeo region, was handed over to Tang.

Is Seokguram a natural cave?

No. It is an artificial grotto, described as the essence of Silla's cultural heritage for realising the Buddha-land through a built stone chamber. It was designated a National Treasure on 20 December 1962.