A Visit to Magoksa Temple in February
Visited in February '25
Driving south on the highway, a large sign directs you to Magoksa Temple. Every time I passed it, the sign caught my eye, and I always thought I should visit someday. I finally had the opportunity to go.
Unlike most temples located within national parks, which require parking at the park entrance and a walk uphill, you can drive right up to Magoksa Temple. After parking, it's only a few hundred meters walk to the Haetalmun (Liberation Gate) and Cheonwangmun (Gate of the Four Heavenly Kings). Passing through those gates and over Geungnakgyo Bridge, you'll see the five-story stone pagoda and Daegwangbojeon (Hall of Great Light) in the courtyard, and above them, the Daeungbojeon (Main Hall).
The temple layout is described as 'One Pagoda and Two Geumdang (Main Halls),' with two central buildings. It was fascinating to see a temple with two main Dharma halls. The carvings on the four sides of the second story of the five-story pagoda and its head ornament were beautiful, so I spent a long time admiring it, circling around and around.
After looking around the temple grounds, I crossed Geungnakgyo Bridge again and climbed a steep slope to reach the small Guksadang Shrine. The panoramic view of Magoksa Temple from here was quite stunning, making the challenging climb worthwhile.
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