Cheoneunsa Temple천은사

At a glance

Cheoneunsa stands about 9 km north of Gurye-eup, where the road around Jirisan begins, and is counted with Hwaeomsa among the great temples of the mountain. It was founded in 828 by the monk Deogun together with a monk from India, then burned and was rebuilt several times, most recently in 1775. It was first called Gamnosa after a clear, cold spring in the grounds. Legend says that when a great serpent seen by the spring was killed during rebuilding after the Imjin War, the water stopped, so the temple was renamed Cheoneunsa, 'temple of the hidden spring'. Fires kept breaking out until the calligrapher Yi Gwang-sa wrote a name plaque in a flowing, water-like script, and it's said you can still hear water in it in the quiet before dawn.

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Cheoneunsa Temple · 4 tours & tickets

1. GetYourGuideJirisan autumn day tour from BusanA 10–12 hour autumn trip from Busan to Jirisan National Park, with a hike in Baemsagol Valley and a stop at Cheoneunsa Temple.Book
2. GetYourGuideCheoneunsa temple stay & Jirisan retreatA two-day (about 21-hour) program with a guided trek to Nogodan on Jirisan and an overnight temple stay at Cheoneunsa.Book
3. KlookJirisan autumn foliage & Cheoneunsa day tourAn autumn day tour from Busan to Jirisan for the foliage, with a visit to Cheoneunsa Temple.Book
4. KKdayJirisan autumn day tour: Baemsagol & CheoneunsaAn autumn day tour from Busan to Jirisan with forest trails, a walk along Baemsagol Valley and Cheoneunsa Temple.Book

Places to stay nearby

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Map

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Tips

• 01
  Look up at the name plaque on the gate, the one Yi Gwang-sa is said to have written to stop the fires.

Nearby

Saseongam HermitageA hermitage on the summit of Osan near Gurye, its Medicine Buddha hall wedged into 20 m rocks above the Seomjin River and Jirisan's ridges.Baemsagol ValleyA 14 km valley on the north side of Jirisan, running from Banyabong peak past rock cliffs, some 100 waterfalls and pools, and a broad flat rock.Hadong Wild Tea MuseumA free museum in Hwagae, the valley said to be where tea was first planted in Korea, with hands-on tea ceremony, picking and roasting classes.