Who says Pohang is boring? It may not have a lot of shopping malls and a convenient integrated metro system, but it houses many National treasures that are up to you to discover! By the end of this post, you should be able to tell others that Pohang has so much more than just steel manufacturing plants! Let’s start with the temples in Pohang for an eye-opener to their Buddhist culture as well as a retreat from studying stress!
Here are the temples to visit in Pohang:
- Oeosa temple
- Bogyeongsa temple and Naeyeonsan hiking
Oeosa temple
Named after a folk tale, of 2 monks Hyegong and Wonhyo-daesa (617-686 A.D.) who tried to revive 2 dead fishes in the neighbouring lake and managed to bring one of them to life, this temple stands as Korea’s #1280 National Treasure.
We visited this temple by taxi costing about 17k won (if I remember correctly) and did not plan our way back, so we were stuck there without access to a taxi back to campus. What’s worse was that it was raining when we went (a few days before hurricane Hinnamnor) and I had not registered my SIM card (bad example! 😖) We had to ask for help from the temple staff and a regular volunteer working at the temple kindly offered us a ride back to campus.
Bogyeongsa temple and Naeyeonsan
Home to 12 waterfalls, the hike along the trails on Naeyeonsan mountain offers eye-pleasing views, while the clear air and crisp sounds from the fallen leaves made by every step taken in the tranquil forest clear your mind from distracting thoughts. At the foot of the mountain stands Bogyeongsa, one of the longest-standing temples built during the Silla Dynasty.
Look out for invitation emails sent by POSTECH ISSS as they arrange the experience trip to Bogyeongsa temple for free! (saves you the trouble of travelling!)
As the arrangement by POSTECH only covers a short 2 hrs climb, there was not enough time to discover all waterfalls and we decided to visit again by ourselves! Unfortunately, we did not plan the time well and visited near the end of Autumn when days are short, hence we only managed to find 8/12 waterfalls in a 4hr climb.
Wind god, please don’t topple our wishing towers!! 🌠🤞
Bonus:
A surprisingly large temple hidden away along the park of the private estate
If you are not a hiking-type of person, see my next post👉👉
