Full description from the venue
The Gyeongju National Museum, located in Gyeongju, the millennial capital of Silla, is one of the most prominent museums in Korea that sheds light on the cultural heritage of Silla.
The Gyeongju National Museum is pleased to present the special exhibition Hwangnyongsa and Its Wooden Pagoda: Enshrining the Sacred Relics of the Buddha, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the excavation of the Hwangnyongsa Temple site in Gyeongju.
At the site where the wooden pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple once stood, the central foundation stone, which enshrined the sarira reliquaries, still remains. This exhibition brings together approximately 390 artifacts, including reliquaries discovered within the chamber of the foundation stone as well as those unearthed during the 1976 excavation beneath it. Notably, the gilt-bronze reliquary casket and the stone cover of the reliquary chamber—both recovered from within the chamber—are presented to the public following extensive conservation and restoration. The exhibition also highlights newly identified aspects of sarira enshrinement, revealed through recent scientific analysis and research.
We hope this exhibition offers visitors a renewed opportunity to engage with the world of sarira enshrined within the wooden pagoda of Hwangnyongsa Temple, a defining symbol of Silla Buddhism.