Rock-carved Buddha Triad in Yonghyeon-ri, Seosan서산 용현리 마애여래삼존상

At a glance

Often called the 'smile of Baekje,' this triad was carved into a rock face in Yonghyeon Valley around the 7th century, late in the Baekje period. A standing Shakyamuni Buddha is in the middle, with a pensive Maitreya seated cross-legged on one side and a standing bodhisattva on the other, and the lotus and flame patterns of the central halo are still sharp. The faces look stern at one hour and kindly at another, depending on how the sun falls. Known mostly to locals until around 1959, the carving became a National Treasure in 1962. Its location fits Seosan's history: a West Sea port here linked Baekje's capitals at Gongju and Buyeo with China.

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Rock-carved Buddha Triad in Yonghyeon-ri, Seosan · 1 tours & tickets

1. GetYourGuideSeosan & Yesan Buddhist temple tourA 10-hour day trip from Seoul that includes the Baekje-era Seosan Rock-carved Buddha Triad, along with Gaesimsa and Sudeoksa temples.Book

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Map

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Tips

• 01
  Go on a sunny day: the expressions change as the light moves across the rock.
• 02
  The site is a waypoint on the Seosan Aramegil 'Cheonnyeon Miso-gil' trail, and Bowonsa Temple Site, Yonghyeon Recreational Forest and Gopung Reservoir are nearby.

Nearby

Gaesimsa TempleAn old temple in the Seosan hills, said to date from 654, with a main hall rebuilt in 1484 and cherry trees that bloom around Buddha's Birthday.Ami Art MuseumA private art museum in the closed Yudong Elementary School in rural Dangjin, kept close to its original form.Sudeoksa TempleA temple founded in Baekje times on Yesan's Mt. Deoksungsan, head of a Jogye Order district, with a main hall that is a National Treasure.