Ancient Temples Gounsa and Unramsa,
Symbols of Silla Buddhism,
Completely Destroyed in Uiseong Wildfire
As the ancient temples Gounsa and Unramsa, which date back to the Silla Dynasty, were completely destroyed by a wildfire in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk, an interview with a monk who ultimately shed tears was released, evoking deep sorrow.
Ven. Doryun is shedding tears at the complete destruction of Unramsa, a thousand-year-old temple in Uiseong, Gyeongbuk. Photo by KBS
According to forest authorities on the 26th, at around 4:50 PM the previous day, Gounsa, the head temple of the 16th district of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism located on the slopes of Deungunsan in Danchon-myeon, Uiseong-gun, was completely destroyed by the wildfire. Gounsa was a temple founded by Monk Uisang during the reign of King Sinmun of Silla and was one of the major temples representing Gyeongbuk.
Earlier, on the first day of the wildfire, the 22nd, Unramsa in Anpyeong-myeon, Uiseong-gun, was also burned down. Unramsa was likewise an ancient temple from the Silla period, known to have been founded by Monk Uisang, a leading figure in Korean Buddhism during King Sinmun’s reign.
Due to the wildfire, all of Unramsa’s buildings, including Bogwangjeon, which housed the wooden Amitabha Buddha statue designated as a tangible cultural heritage of Gyeongbuk Province, and its auxiliary structures, were burned down. Fortunately, before the flames reached Unramsa, cultural heritage assets such as the Amitabha Triad, the Birth Buddha, and the Shinjung painting were moved to the nearby Jomunguk Museum, thus escaping destruction.
In an interview with KBS, Ven. Doryun, the head monk of Gounsa, the main temple of Unramsa, explained the situation: "Since the fire reached in front of Bogwangjeon, there was no choice. We were told to withdraw to avoid casualties while moving monks and relics, so we stayed until the end and then withdrew. Because cultural heritage cannot be restored once damaged, we urgently relocated them with the intention to protect them."
Ven. Doryun tearfully said, "We have carried on this thousand-year-old temple, but in our generation, we lost the Buddha’s hall. I am truly sorry." With a choked voice, he added, "I am deeply sorry for not being able to protect the Buddha’s sanctuary and offer my repentance to the Buddha. I hope the wildfire will be extinguished quickly and that we will restore the temple to pray and give hope as before."
Netizens who watched the video expressed sympathy and comforted the self-reproaching monk. Comments included, "Seeing the tears makes me cry too. The monk is not at fault, but my heart aches," "The monks did their best," "If our hearts are breaking like this, how much more painful must it be for the monks," and "Please don’t apologize, monk," showing their support and consolation.
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