'Cheonnyeon Gudeul' That Helped Monks' Meditation Designated as National Intangible Cultural Heritage

Systematic Preservation and Utilization of Hadong Chilbulsa Ajabang Ondol

'Hadong Chilbulsa Ajabang Ondol,' representing the history of Korea's ondol culture, is being managed as a National Folk Cultural Heritage. The Cultural Heritage Administration announced on the 22nd that it plans to cooperate with local governments and managers for systematic preservation and utilization.

This is a uniquely shaped ondol room located on the southern slope of Banya Peak in Jirisan at Chilbulsa Temple. Chilbulsa is a branch temple of Ssanggyesa, the head temple of the 13th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It is well known as Chilbulam Hermitage, where the seven princes of King Suro of Garak Kingdom became monks and attained enlightenment.

Within the temple grounds, there is a meditation room called 'Ajabang (亞字房).' The monks were arranged to practice facing the walls, with each of the four corners of the room raised one step higher than the floor level. The entire room, shaped like the character '亞,' is equipped with ondol heating. It is said to have been first created during the Silla period.

According to artifacts excavated in 2017 from the Goryeo period (including roof tiles, foundation stones, and hearth stones) and various records, the Ajabang ondol functioned as a meditation room in a Seon (Zen) Buddhist temple. Its existence is confirmed through travelogues left by old scholars who visited Jirisan and newspaper articles from the Japanese colonial period. It is presumed that monks meditated in the raised corners and read Buddhist scriptures on the lower central platform.

The ondol is known to have never been repaired for about 1,000 years. Once heated, the ondol and walls retain warmth for a month. A Cultural Heritage Administration official stated, "This is a unique cultural heritage combining Korea's traditional ondol culture and the meditation rooms of Seon Buddhist temples," adding, "It holds significant academic implications in Buddhist history and architectural history, and its rarity among existing examples is very high."