Surisa Temple - Gyeonggi

Located halfway up the southwestern side of Surisan Mountain, the eponymously named Surisa Temple was built under the reign of King Jinheung of the Silla Kingdom during the 6th century. The mountain was also called bulgyeon, which means “seeing Buddha,” as it was said that a member of the royal family had a vision of the Buddha while praying at the temple. The temple used to be larger, maintaining 36 buildings on the premises and 132 hermitages spread over the mountain, but these facilities were completely destroyed during the Japanese invasions of Korea from 1592-1598 and the Korean War from 1950-1953. The temple that stands today was reconstructed in 1955. The road leading to the entrance of Surisa Temple offers gorgeous scenery with a beautiful forest and valley lining its sides; it is as if the mountain itself surrounds the temple like a painted screen.