Taehung Castle is a mountain fortress of the early

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unificati ...

period, located outside

Kaesŏng Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...

North Hwanghae Province North Hwanghae Province (Hwanghaebuk-to; , lit. "north Yellow Sea province") is a province of North Korea. The province was formed in 1954 when the former Hwanghae Province was split into North and South Hwanghae. The provincial capital is Sari ...

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

. Originally encompassing both Mts. Chŏnma and Songgo, the castle was first founded as a fortress for the defense of the capital, encircled by over 10 kilometers of stone walls. Today, many of the walls have become overgrown ruins. The fortress contains two small

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 ...

temples, Kwanumsa and

Taehungsa Daeheungsa, sometimes called Daedunsa, is a main temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. Daeheungsa is located on the slopes of Duryunsan (Duryun Mountain) in Samsan Township, Haenam County, in the province of Jeollanam-do near the sout ...

North Gate

The only one of the fortress' original six gates to survive to the present day, this gate is located just behind Pakyon Falls and is topped with a

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

-dynasty pavilion.

Kwanŭm Temple

Named after

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

, the buddhist

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

of compassion, this small temple is located in the beautiful valley between Mts. Songgo and Chŏnma. The temple was founded in 970 when a monk deposited two marble statues of the goddess in a cave behind the temple's current location. The temple itself was constructed in 1393 under the Koryo Dynasty, and later renovated in 1646 under the

. The site contains many ancient relics, including a seven-story pagoda from the Koryo dynasty and the ancient Guanyin statues in Kwanum Cave.

Taehŭng Temple

Higher up on the mountain sits Taehŭng Temple, now much diminished from its Koryo-dynasty splendor. The building that exists today is only the temple school, famed as the place where the son of King Taejo, founder of Koryo, studied around 921. After the much larger main temple was destroyed during the Red Turbans invasions of Korea, the temple school was converted for use as the main temple.

References

{{Castles in North Korea Buddhist archaeological sites in Korea Castles in North Korea Buildings and structures in Kaesong National Treasures of North Korea

North Gate

Kwanŭm Temple

Taehŭng Temple

See also

References