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Southeast to the city of Kyongju in South Korea is Korea’s oldest
existing temple, the Pulguk-sa Temple. Dominated by towering
pagodas, the temple’s layout is typical of that of Unified Silla
architecture.
The temple was built up during the reign of King Kyongdok (r. 742-765)
by Kim Tae-song, the chief minister, in honor of his parents. There is a
story that Kim Tae-song's birth into the Prime Minister's family was
announced by a mysterious voice. To honor his parents, he designed and
had Pulguk-sa Temple built.
Set on a stone platform at the foothill of Mt. Toham, the temple
was first founded early in the sixth century and was entirely rebuilt
and enlarged in 752. The original platform and foundations have remained
intact to the present, but the existing wooden buildings were
reconstructed during the Choson dynasty.
 The
temple is best approached from the south entrance that features a
beautiful pair of stone staircases. The temple is particularly famous
for these graceful staircases, which actually were designed as bridges,
leading up to the temple complex.
They are the oldest stone bridges in Korea and were considered to be
pathways from the secular world to the Land of the Buddha which was what
Buddhists consider the temple complex to be.
The stone work of the two-story platform exhibits a superb sense of
architectural organization and advanced building methods. Two stone
pagodas stand in front of the main hall of the temple.
 The
simpler Sokka-top located to the left of the court is done in the
typical square Silla style, and represents Shakyamuni, Buddha's
manifestation in a transcendental calm. This form is also known as the
“historical Buddha.” It has three stories with two pedestal layers and a
total height reaching about twenty-five feet.
The pagoda consists of simple undecorated pedestal slabs and three-story
stupa each of which has five stepped eaves and truncated roofs. These
characteristics constitute a typical form of the Korean stone pagodas.
 The
other pagoda, Tabot’ap, is more elaborate and symbolizes the
Prabhutaratna Buddha or the manifestation of Buddha in a diversified
universe.
This style of presentation is considered to be unique to Korea and
occasionally duplicated in some places of Asia. With a height of
thirty-five feet, this pagoda has one pedestal with a staircase on each
side, four main stories with balustrade and is characterized by the
final crown-ball-and-plate sequence. The design motif of the lotus
flower is dominant in the moldings and other details of the pagoda.
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