Secrets of Nature and Culture: the Bamboo Forest of Ahopsan, the Thondosa Temple of Triratna, and Neolithic Petroglyphs
Welcome to the world of antiquities and secrets!
The Pangude Petroglyphs, the oldest depictions of whaling in the world, are strikingly realistic; Not far away you will find the Cheongjeong-ri petroglyphs, which were once admired by the kings of Silla. Thondosa Temple, one of the three temples of the Korean Triratna, will envelop you in charm and amaze you with its scale.
The Ahopsan Forest, whose total area is more than 500,000 m2, has been hidden from the world for centuries; it will give us tranquility and the majestic canopy of bamboo, cypress, ginkgo, oak and Korean pine.
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The Pangude petroglyphs are the oldest depictions of whaling in the world. The rock paintings are so realistic that zoologists can even identify the type of animal from them! Whales, leopards, tigers, wild boars - only about 20 species of animals in 300 pictures carved on a rock about 8 by 5 meters in size.
Dinosaurs also left a legacy here, but directly, with their legs, so to speak: along the picturesque banks of the river, you can find real footprints of real dinosaurs!
The rock is located on the banks of the picturesque Daegokchon River, a tributary of the river. Taehwa, captivated with its rocky primitive landscapes of artists, poets and famous public figures not only of the Neolithic, but also of less distant eras - Silla, Goryeo and Joseon.
The Cheongjeon-ri petroglyphs are located very close (about 2 km) from the Pangudae petroglyphs. Chronologically, they were the first to be discovered by a group of researchers in 1973.
In addition to the petroglyphs themselves, dating back to the Neolithic era, the rock has preserved a curious record of the Silla era on a hanmun.
One of the three temples of the Korean Triratna ("three jewels": Buddha, dharma, sangha). Thondosa is dedicated directly to the Buddha (while the sangha, the monastic community, is dedicated to Songwansa temple, and the dharma, the teachings of the Buddha, is dedicated to Haeinsa).
The temple was founded in 646 by the master Chazhang, who visited China and brought from there such relics as the robe of the Buddha, an alms bowl, and part of the bones of the Buddha's skull. These relics were divided among three temples, Thondosa is the only one preserved. Due to the fact that the "true relics" of the Buddha are in a mortar at the top of the "diamond stairs", there is no statue of Buddha in the main building of the temple dedicated to Shakyamuni Buddha - for why create an image of someone who is in the form of relics directly in the temple?
There are several versions of the origin of the name of the temple. Thon means "to pass/to be like"; do - improve, go to nirvana, follow the rules of Buddhist life. Lay people aspiring to become monks had to "walk the diamond ladder." The second version: "acquire absolute knowledge, lead all beings to nirvana" - the mission of the branch of Mahayana Buddhism. The third version: the mountain at the foot of which the temple is located resembles the Eagle Mountain (Gridhrakuta), where the Buddha preached (and the name of the mountain sounds the same in Korean: Yongchhuksan / Yeonchisan - "Eagle Mountain").
The temple was heavily built during the Imjin War of 1592-1598, but was rebuilt by 1645. By the number of buildings and structures - more than 50 - it is considered the largest in Korea.
The Ahopsan Forest remained in its pristine state, unknown and inaccessible to human eyes, surviving the Japanese occupation, liberation, the War, and the madness of industrialization. Lost and hidden, it shielded itself from the world for a full 400 years and, frankly, would be glad to stand quietly in the shadows for another 400 while civilization rages around it.
Now, here's an interesting fact: "Ahopsan" is not just a name—it's an ancient Korean word that means "[in the embrace of] nine peaks." So, this isn’t just a forest, but a true giant, standing in the wilderness (though not far from Busan) for centuries, meditating, and gently embracing everything that comes within its thick grasp.