▲ Magoksa.

Magoksa Temple is a 1,300-year-old historic Buddhist temple located on the eastern slope of Taehwa Mountain in Gongju, Chungnam. The temple is well-known not only for the excellent precincts but also for the beautiful scenery of surrounding mountains and valleys.

Trails laid through the temple to the top of Taehwa Mountain attract people all around the year, and their serenity make the mountain a healing place for many trekkers. In particular, the trail starting from the north of the temple provides an easy course for beginners and elderly people. Taehwa Mountain is also famous as a mountain that preserves best pine trees.

In addition to the trails, there is a great walk named ※Baekbeom Meditation Road§ around the Magoksa Temple. The name ※Baekbeom§ is a penname of highly respected Korean independence activist kimkoo. Ignited by the assassination of Joseon＊s last empress Myeongseong by Japanese imperialists in 1896, he assassinated a Japanese military officer and escaped into Magoksa.

The walk is named after him to pay respect to his dedication. The walk is composed of two parts, 3 km-long ※Baekbeom path,§ which takes about 50 minutes to travel, and 5 km-long ※meditation path,§ which takes about 3 hours and 50 minutes to travel.

Valleys resonant with flowing water also appeal to people. Especially, Sangwongol Valley as long as 3.3 km is one of the best hideaways to escape from summer heat waves thanks to dense forests and clean water around.

Magoksa Temple is believed to have been established in 630, over a thousand years ago, by Buddhist monk Jajang of Silla and renovated by Buddhist monk Jinul of Goryeo. There are several legends about the origin of its name ※Magok.§ One tells that a crowd of believers came for the head monk＊s sermon and that looked like flax plants, so the temple was named ※Magok,§ which mean flax valley. Another says that it was named ※Magok§ because flax plants grew widely in the valleys.

There is one thing that you should not miss in Magoksa Temple. That is to hold a pillar of the main building (Daeungjeon) and turn around as many times as possible. An old myth in the temple says, once you die, the king of the underworld would ask you, ※How many times have you held pillars of Magoksa Temple?§ If your answer is ※many times,§ you would go to heaven, but if your answer is ※not at all,§ then you would go to hell. Because so many people have held the pillars and turned around, the pillars in Magoksa Temple have turned very smooth and sleek.