According to Wikipedia, Beomeosa Temple (범어사) in Busan was constructed on Geumjeong Mountain in the year 678. Like many things during the Japanese invasions in 1592, the temple was burned to the ground. Fortunately for Buddhist practitioners and travelers like me, the temple was rebuilt after the invasions and once more after an accidental fire in 1602.

One of the Four Heavenly Kings (사천황)

Among the important historical artifacts at Beomeosa Temple are a handful of National Treasures and Important Cultural Assets. There is even a very small museum housing some pretty old paintings and statues.

One of the Four Heavenly Kings (사천황)

My favorite place in the temple is the main entrance where the statues of the Four Heavenly Kings are located. It’s always fun to see what the statues, or sometimes paintings, will look like. Every temple is different.

Evil at the feet of the Four Heavenly Kings

At Beomeosa Temple, the statues are huge and colorful. I couldn’t believe how bright the colors were, at least above where dust has settled on the statues. Also, there are smaller statues of humans at the feet of the Four Heavenly Kings. They represent the evil that the Four Heavenly Kings protect against.

Evil at the feet of the Four Heavenly Kings

While I was roaming around the temple grounds, I met a couple of Koreans. They explained to me that everyday at Beomeosa Temple at noon visitors can eat a free lunch in the temple’s cafeteria. It turns out that many large temples offer this service. I accepted their invitation to join them and ate some rice and a variety of vegetables. The food is the same food the monks eat, and I thought it was a little on the bland side.

Free lunch at Beomeosa Temple

After walking through the temple and the hermitage right behind it, I took a hike up to Godangbong Peak (고당봉). The hike is not a very long hike, nor is it very difficult. If you plan to do some hiking after visiting the temple, I suggest packing some drinks and trail food. Despite eating the free lunch, I found myself craving both food and drink along the trail.

Temple Pillars

Along the way you can pass through the north gate of an old fortress called Geumjeong Mountain Fortress (금정산성) that was built around the mountain. The fortress wall is about 1.5 meters tall and appears to be completely intact. A map of the mountain which I saw on the trail showed four gates and a hiking trail that follows the wall around the circumference.

Geumjeong Mountain Fortress

Sitting at my desk and looking back, Beomeosa Temple made for a pleasant day trip in Busan. I didn’t expect to find a hiking trail or an old fortress wall to check out. If I were to do it again, I’d head out earlier in the morning and try to hike around to some of the 11 different hermitages in the area and see more of the fortress wall and scenery around it.

Resources
Beomeosa Temple (Korea Tourism Organization)
Beomeosa Temple (Temple Stay)
Geumjeong Mountain Fortress (Tigers & Magpies)
Geumjeong Mountain Fortress (Korea Tourism Organization)

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