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Stone Lantern of Muryangsa Temple, Buyeo

부여 무량사 석등 ( 扶餘 無量寺 石燈 )

Heritage Search Detail
Classification Treasure
Name of Cultural Properties Stone Lantern of Muryangsa Temple, Buyeo
Quantity 1 stone lantern
Designated Date 1963.01.21
Age Unified Silla
Address Muryangsa Temple 203, Muryang-ro, Oesan-myeon, Buyeo-gun, Chungcheongnam-do

The Muryangsa Temple, built in the late Silla period, is where a famous scholar named Kim Si-seup spent his last years, and a monk-poet named Jinmuk stayed to practice his art. Standing in front of the five-story stone pagoda in the temple's precinct, this octagonal stone lantern has a pedestal heavily decorated with lotus patterns. As is quite evident in the pedestal, the light chamber, and the roof and the octagonal shape are the center of this work. The light chamber has four 'light windows', and the capstone, whose eaves are curved upwards at all corners, is capped with a jewel in the shape of a lotus bud. The capstone is disproportionately large compared to the rest of the lantern, but the upward curve of the eaves make it look lighter. The simple design of lotus petals at the upper and lower parts of the pedestal is different from the elaborately carved ones in the golden age of the Unified Silla period. This stone lantern is assumed to have a work of the period between the late Silla and the early Goryeo Dynasty (B.C.10).