• Journal of architectural history
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.137-152
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• 2007

The purpose of this article is making investigation of the principal composition of the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple through ornaments of a case preserving relics of Buddha in the east and west pagodas of Gameunsa temple. This research has an important meaning in clarifying that the concept of placement two Buddhas together with lotus sutra, which was only applied to Bulkuksa temple, has been extended to Gameunsa temple. And this observation gave us a clear explanation for the principal composition at the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple plans. The author obtained the following conclusion from this article : The cases preserving relics of the Buddha for the west and east pagodas are globally in similar form as the type of a royal palace. But the different points between eastern and western can be seen on the existence of Buddhist statues on the base floor, set-up of the gate at railings, and 4 lion statues at a coner of the base floor. In the western pagoda, there are Buddha statues above the base-floor of the cases preserving relics. These Buddha statues are composed of a boy monks and angels with playing music for the praise of the Sakyamuni Buddha lecturing the Lotus sutra at YoungChui Mountain. On the other hand, in the eastern pagoda, Buddha statues on the cases preserving relics are composed of a the Four Devas and monks as a defending God of the nation of Buddha. In the eastern pagoda, one can see something that does not exist in the western pagoda, which is a gate located in railing of a case preserving the relics. This gate described the scene of the Sakyamuni Buddha entering into the pagoda of 7 treasures. In a corner of the case preserving relics in the eastern pagoda, there is another thing which does not exist in the western pagoda. This is a sculpture of a lion which symbols the seat of Lion supporting the Buddha in the Dabotap(the pagoda of 7 treasures). When we observe the form and structure, the descriptions at the railings, the gate, the shrine, the statue of a lion, and the accessories in jewelries, at the cases preserving the relics in the eastern pagoda, one can realize that they have the same combination structures between the ones at Dabotaps in Bulguksa temple and those in China as well as in Japan, all of which represent the Gyun-Bo-Tap-Pum of Lotus Sutra. Among the distribution rules in the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple, the application of the ideal of lotus was known to be effected only to Bulguksa temple. But from the result of the present article, it is more clearly proved by applying the Gameunsa temple that the distribution theory in the twin-pagodas in Buddhist temple was in fact based on the ideal of lotus.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.143-151
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• 2002

Bulku temple in the city of Kyungju, Korea, built in 791 and reconstructed in the 20th century, is the home of seven national treasures including two three-story stone pagodas, Dabotap (height 10.4m, width 7.4m, weight 123.2ton) and Seokgatap (height 10.8m, width 4.4m, weight 82.3 ton). An earlier archaeological investigation shows that stone pagodas have experienced severe weathering process which will threaten their stability. At the base part of Dabotap, an offset of the stone alignment is also observed. For the purpose of the structural safety diagnosis of two pagodas, we introduce the nondestructive geophysical methods. Site characteristics around the pagodas are determined by the measurement of multiple properties such as seismic velocity, resistivity, image of GPR(ground-penetrating radar). Near the pagodas, the occurrence of high resistivity (up to 2200 Ωm) is obvious whereas their outskirts have as low as 200 Ωm. For the velocity of the P wave, the site of Dabotap has the range of 500~800 m/s which is higher than counterpart of Seokgatap with the velocity of 300~500m/s, indicating the solider stability of Dabotap site. Consequently, in addition to GPR images, the foundation boundaries beneath each stone pagodas are revealed. The Dabotap site is in the form of an octagon having 6-m-long side with the depth of ~4m, whereas the Seokgatap site the 9m × 10m rectangle with the depth of 3m. These subsurface structures appear to reflect the original foundations constructed against the stone load of ~8 ton/㎡. At the subsurface beneath the northeast of each pagoda, low seismic velocity as well as low resistivity is prominent. It is interpreted to represent the weak underground condition.