Seonunsa Temple Treasures on View at Seoul's Central Buddhist Museum

An exhibition at Seoul's Central Buddhist Museum, running until July 31, presents 157 artifacts from Seonunsa Temple in Gochang, including one National Treasure and 11 Treasures. A highlight is the gilt-bronze seated Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statue, stolen in 1936 and taken to Hiroshima, Japan; it was repatriated after thieves confessed in 1938. The exhibition marks the first time three Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva statues from Seonunsa are displayed together: the repatriated piece, a 14th-century version from Dosolam Hermitage, and a 15th-century stone one from Chamdangam. The temple, built in 577 under King Wideok of Baekje, is the second head temple of the Jogye Order in Jeollabuk province. It features a 13-meter-high Goryeo-dynasty rock-carved Buddha, a 500-year-old red camellia forest (Natural Monument), and four remaining hermitages. The exhibition also explores the architecture of Daeungjeon Hall, a late Joseon-period structure (Treasure 290). A temple stay program, initiated in 2022, allows visitors to stay at participating temples across South Korea.