Busan Haedong Yonggungsa Temple | Zanne Xanne’s Travel Guide
A travel to Busan is considered incomplete if you have never visited one of the scenic Buddhist temples which located on the north-eastern portion of Busan~ Haedong Yonggungsa Temple.
Just like the traditional Buddhist temple which showed in the Korean drama, the colourful traditional design reflected the art and lifestyle of local in Busan.
ABOUT HAEDONG YONGGUNGSA TEMPLE
Haedong Yonggungsa Temple was originally known as Bomun Temple and was built in 1376. However, it was destroyed during the Japanese invasions of Korea in year 1592 to 1598. Then, the temple was rebuilt again in year 1930 and renamed Haedong Yonggungsa Temple in 1974.
CHERRY BLOSSOM
I was so lucky to visit Haedong Yonggungsa Temple during cherry blossom season as I manage to catch the pink wave stretching from the main road bus stop into the temple!
It was a 15 to 20 minutes walk from the main road into the temple. You may take your own sweet time to take as many pictures as you wish for the breathtaking cherry blossom view.♥️
Of course, we enjoyed the view so much and posed as much as possible to catch the best moment under the cherry blossom tree! 😊
A small stretch of shops can be seen while you make your way into the temple. They were selling various kinds of food and souvenir for instance: cuttlefish, tteokbokki, traditional sweet and local Korean dried fish and anchovy to make their soup tasty.
Upon arrival at the entrance, we were greeted by 12 Chinese zodiac sign of statue. They were positioned in a straight line in order to protect the temple. You may wish to take a picture with the Chinese zodiac statue of the year you born too. 😊
There was a 8 Story Pagoda in front of the main entrance where you can pray for the traffic safety.
You may have the chance to know different kinds of Buddha statue here and remember to lower your volume while the worship is going on.
Furthermore, you may bath the mini Buddha statue that located at the center of the temple as well. Remember to make a wish first before bathing the Buddha statue. (Ps: Don’t forget to offer some donation in order to make your wish come true. 😊)
Walking through the stairs, you may pass by a collection of miniature monks which scattered around the temple.
Then, you will lead to a scenic and breathtaking view of the turquoise ocean and spacious blue sky.
The temple was located near to Haeundae Beach and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is one of the popular spots for watching sunrise too. Furthermore, it’s definitely a great place for relaxation retreats as well. You may listen to the sound of waves crashing onto the rocky island and Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is a great place for meditation with the nature sound around too.
Visiting Haedong Yonggungsa Temple during New Year is a blessed thing to do for the local. It is one of the renowned location during New Year but there are only a few landmarks that are open, hence it’s very crowded during New Year. However, it is really a best thing to do on the first day of the year to pray for the entire year’s health and wealth. Furthermore, the temple is crowded during Buddha’s Birthday month too and it is decorated with colourful paper lantern around the temple.
Besides visiting Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, you may visit Haedong Zen Center through the mini forest located next to the entrance of Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. The Songjeong Beach is just located 1.5km away from the temple itself.
However, we not manage to explore the forest and Songjeong Beach as it was quite late when we arrived Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. We should reach here earlier in order for us to explore the mini forest.
HOW TO GO
Take a subway line 2 to Haeundae Station and Exit 7. Take a bus 181 from Haeundae Station and get off at Yonggungsa.
HAEDONG YONGGUNGSA TEMPLE
86, Yonggung-gil, Gijang-eup, Gijang-gun, Busan. | 4am – 7pm