Palsangjeon

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Palsangjeon
The oldest example of Korean wooden pagoda architecture.
Korean name
Hangul:	팔상전
Hanja:	捌相殿
Revised Romanization:	Palsangjeon
McCune-Reischauer:	P'alsangjŏn

Palsangjeon (Hall of Eight Pictures) is located at Beopjusa Temple and is the only wooden pagoda left in Korea. The pagoda gets its name from paintings depicting the eight merciful acts of the Buddha to save lay people. [1]. It is believed to have originally been built in 553 but like many other wooden buildings was destroyed by the Japanese during the Seven-Year War and was subsequently rebuilt beginning in 1605 and completed in 1626. [2]. The dates of the rebuilding come from inscriptions on a sarira casket and roof that were discovered when the building was renovated in 1968. Because pagoda architecture was brought from Korea to Japan, some hypothesize that the original Palsangjeon may have inspired and resembled the five story pagoda at Horyu-ji. [3]. [4].

The pagoda is the 55th national treasure of Korea and was designated on December 20, 1962.

The pagoda is 22.7 meters in height and its base covers an area of eight meters square. [5]. Four walls of the interior depict eight panels of paintings of Buddha saving the lay people of the word through his merciful acts. [6]. A sarira containing relics of the Buddha or a holy person, a shrine for the Buddha, and an area to pray also occupy space inside the pagoda.

The pagoda rests on a low platform with stairs on each side. The first and second floors contain five rooms while the third and fourth floors contain three. The fifth floor holds two rooms. Although generally acknowledged to be a pagoda, some scholars suggest that this is a hybrid of pagoda and worship hall architecture. [7].