Bulguksa Temple, Korea

Set among the forested Toham mountains in southeast Korea, Bulguksa (Bulguk Temple, the Temple of the Buddha Land), was founded during the Silla Dynasty (57 BC–AD 935). The history of this 1,300 year old sacred site reflects the long and sometimes turbulent history of Buddhism and its heritage in Korea, up to its inclusion as Korea’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. The temple was founded primarily as a powerhouse of prayer for the royal family, but the exact date of its creation was uncertain until 2007 when new evidence emerged...