Donggung Palace and Wolji Pond, formerly known as Anapji, is an artificial
pond
A pond is an area filled with water, either natural or artificial, that is smaller than a lake. Defining them to be less than in area, less than deep, and with less than 30% emergent vegetation helps in distinguishing their ecology from ...
in
Gyeongju National Park
Gyeongju National Park ( ko, 경주국립공원, 慶州國立公園) is located in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, and is the country's only historical national park. It was first designated a national park in 1968. The park cove ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
. It was part of the palace complex of ancient
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...
(57 BCE – 935 CE). It was constructed by order of
King Munmu in 674 CE. The pond is situated at the northeast edge of the
Banwolseong
Wolseong Palace Site, Gyeongju (慶州 月城, literally “Half Moon Fortress”), also commonly known as Wolseong Palace, was the royal palace compound of the Korean Silla monarchy at their capital in Gyeongju during the Silla and Unified Silla ...
palace site, in central
Gyeongju. It is an oval shape; 200m from east to west and 180m from north to south. It contains three small islands.
History
Anapji was originally located near the palace of Silla called
Banwolseong
Wolseong Palace Site, Gyeongju (慶州 月城, literally “Half Moon Fortress”), also commonly known as Wolseong Palace, was the royal palace compound of the Korean Silla monarchy at their capital in Gyeongju during the Silla and Unified Silla ...
. It is written in
Samguk Sagi
''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...
: "During the era of
King Munmu, a new pond was made in the palace and flowers and birds flourished in this pond". There is also mention of a royal reception held by
King Gyeongsun in 931, when
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...
was already crumbling.
After the fall of Silla, the pond fell into disrepair for many centuries. The name ''Anapji'' appears in the 16th century
Joseon era document ''Augmented Survey of the Geography of Korea'' (hangul:동국여지승람, hanja:東國輿地勝覽)
with the explanation that King Munmu made the pond with
Taoist
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Tao ...
aesthetics.
Renovation and excavation of relics
As part of the renovation project of historic sites in
Gyeongju, Anapji was dredged and rebuilt in 1974. The long-term excavation project from March 1975 to December 1986 released a large number of relics from the pond. Research revealed that the pond had been surrounded by stone walls, and that 5 buildings had been standing on the pond's west to south sides. Waterway systems were also detected.
Almost 33,000 pieces of historic relics were excavated from the site. An abundance of unique and extraordinarily designed roof tiles, architectural materials, pottery,
gilt bronze figures of
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...
, jewelry, accessories and other everyday items were discovered, offering an insight to
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
art and everyday life in Silla.
Gyeongju city government tried to work on restoration project once again in 2018 but it was suspended because
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
opposed the project.
Tourist destination
Anapji is currently allotted in Inwang-dong,
Gyeongju and is part of
Gyeongju National Park
Gyeongju National Park ( ko, 경주국립공원, 慶州國立公園) is located in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea, and is the country's only historical national park. It was first designated a national park in 1968. The park cove ...
. Approximately 730 relics are on display at the Anapji Exhibition Hall, the special gallery of the
Gyeongju National Museum
The Gyeongju National Museum is a museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. Its holdings are largely devoted to relics of the Silla kingdom, of which Gyeongju was the capital.
The museum is located immediately adjacent to the ...
. The site of ''Imhaejeon'' is also a part of the grounds, the most important building on the property and the structure used as the crown prince’s palace. While some sites have been restored others have been left in the natural form.
Gallery
File:Anapji Pond-Gyeongju-Korea-2006-02.jpg
File:Anapji Pond.jpg
File:Anapji, S Korea.jpg
File:Anapji wall.jpg, Anap Pond facing the Banwolseong palace site
File:Anapji Pond-Gyeongju-Korea-2006-07.jpg, A reconstructed pavilion at Anapji lake.
File:Korea-Gyeongju-Anapji Pond-04.jpg
File:AnapjiPondAtNight1.JPG, Anapji at night
File:AnapjiPondAtNight2.JPG, Anapji at night
File:Anapji.jpg, From the entrance
File:Nyelloaa.jpg, Model reconstruction of the Anapji Pond royal complex.
See also
*
Silla
Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms ...
*
List of South Korean tourist attractions
This is a list of notable tourist attractions in South Korea. The list may include temples, museums, aquariums, landmarks, sports venues, markets, shopping districts, or other notable locations popular with tourists.
0–9
* 63 Building
* ...
*
History of Korea
*
Banwolseong
Wolseong Palace Site, Gyeongju (慶州 月城, literally “Half Moon Fortress”), also commonly known as Wolseong Palace, was the royal palace compound of the Korean Silla monarchy at their capital in Gyeongju during the Silla and Unified Silla ...
References
*
Daegu MBC editing team, ''Anapji'' p4, Book Sorie, Seoul, 2004. .
External links
{{Commons
Gyeongju National MuseumGyeongju City official sitein English
The Architecture and Skyscraper Community of Korea
Bodies of water of South Korea
Ponds of Asia
Landforms of North Gyeongsang Province
Silla
Palaces in South Korea
Archaeological sites in South Korea
Buddhist archaeological sites in Korea
Tourist attractions in Gyeongju