One more temple for the road

Recently (well, actually not recently...it's just taken us a while to get to this one), our boss, Mrs. An took us to one of the more famous temples in Korea, just outside Ulsan: Tongdosa Temple. It was originally built in the 14th century, but many parts were rebuilt in the 19th century.

The best part of the temple by far was its grounds: peaceful, big ancient trees, a babbling brook, and even a picture-perfect stone bridge:

I would have put up the shot with us on the bridge, but these folks look better, what with the parasol and all.

Going during the lead-up to Buddha's Birthday as we did, the temple was adorned with hundreds of lanterns. I wish we were there at night to see this walk-way lit-up:

As you may remember from our previous temple blogs, our favourite parts of Korean temples are the gatehouses, with their huge statues of the Heavenly Kings. This temple did not disappoint (although it was in dire need of a good dusting), and included this particularly amusing display:

I don't know what he did, but me'thinks he's going to be a toad in the next life.

Anyways, like other old Korean temples, Tongdosa had its share of colourful buildings. Following are some of the better shots to amuse and delight...

The bell-house.

A monk a'praying and a'chanting.

A view of the grounds from the shade.

Me taking a sip from the temple fountain.

Us in a beautifully laid-out courtyard.

Mrs. An learnin' Shayne a thing 'r two.

Another shot of the grounds...this time in the sun. ;-)

Now, as they were gearing up for Buddha's birthday and all, we expected to see some celebratory preparations...and we were not disappointed:

Of course, we didn't expect Buddha's birthday to be sponsored by Samsung, but then again, nothing surprises us anymore...sigh.

As we were leaving the temple, Mrs. An gave us a nice surprise: She bought us a roof tile, which we could write a message on, and which would be used the next time they roofed one of the temple buildings. Now, with our luck, this will turn out to be the public washrooms, but we'll never know the difference so it matters not. Anyways, it was a really nice gesture.

Here we are committing our message for all eternity...or until the white ink gets worn off by the elements...or until they replace the roof again...

Anyways, it was a good day, and now I think we've seen enough Korean temples to satisfy us for a lifetime. Perhaps you too, good reader, feel the same. No more temples, I promise...until we get to China.

Until next time,
Jo