Abstract
Jeongamsa Sumano Stupa(Korean National Treasure No. 332) is a brick like stone stupa and it is considered that this stupa was built in the Later Silla period or in the early part of the Koryo period, considering its structure and style. This Buddhist stupa is highly significant in Korean Buddhism since it was built to enshrine Buddhist sarira reliquaries that 'Jajang' brought from China in the 7th century, according to the 『Overlooked Historical Records of the Three Korean Kingdoms, 『三國遺事』』. However, the stupa was positioned at the very unique location. It was positioned not at the center of Jeongamsa Temple, but at the separate edifice. The location of Jeongamsa Sumano Stupa indicates that this stupa embodies the nature of Mahaparinirvana treasure palaces and that this stupa was recognized as a solemn symbol, which reflected a sarira faith. Jeongamsa Sumano Stupa is the only brick stone stupa built in Gangwon province. It is worth noticing that this stupa was mostly made of dolostones, found around this region, and thereby regional characteristics were reflected in this stupa. The other interesting fact about Jeongamsa Sumano Stupa is that there are many records available which include information about stupa's reconstruction, considering that there aren't many records of other stupas. The most representative records are 5 pieces of memorial stones which include information about when and on what ground the stupa was reconstructed as well as information about originators of the stupa. In conclusion, Jeongamsa Sumano Stupar could be regarded as the academically valuable material since it is considered very important and helpful for understanding not only the history of Korean Buddhist stupas, but also so many other things such as construction techniques, styles of brick pagoda and brick stone stupa, and such.
