Yeonmisa
Origin of Jebeewon
Origin of Yeonmisa
 


You will reach Hanteejae about 3km away from the downtown of Andong, taking the fifth local road in the direction of Youngju. Going 2km more to the north, passing by Hanteejae, will take you to Mahae Buddhist Statue standing high by the roadside.
This statue of Buddha is 'Andong Eecheondong Sukbulsang' designated as the 115th National Treasure. Behind the statue, whose popular name is 'Jebeewon Mireukbul', is a small temple named 'Yeonmisa'.

The temple is said to have been founded by Myoungduk in 634 AD (the third year of Sunduk Queen in the Shila Dynasty).
Myoungduk was one of Boduk's pupils, who was also a Buddhist priest from Goguryeo Kingdom, and carved the Buddha image in the rock and founded the temple. Afterwards, since the roof above the statue looked like a swallow, it was named Yeonjaroo, the residing place for monks, Yosahche, was located at the tail of the swallow-looking building, so it was named Yeonmisa.


Besides, as the Buddhist sanctum was believed to correspond to the beak of a swallow, it was called Yeongoosa. In the Goryeo Dynasty, when the head of the statue was felled and destroyed by a disaster and restored, Jeongak Joongsoo and three-story stone pagoda were constructed. Since then, the mountain has been well-known as Mt. Ohdo.

Unfortunately, due to the pro-Confucianism and con-Buddhism policy in the middle of the Joseon Dynasty, Yeongoosa became a ruined temple, only the statue remaining. Even the real name of the temple was lost documentarily only to leave the name, 'Yeonbiwon-bulsa', handed down orally.

During the Japanese occupation, 'Geosarim', one of Deungchokgye that was the followers' gathering of Bongjeongsa, proposed the reconstruction of the temple, and in 1934, a new temple building was constructed on the original remaining site of Yeonmisa, which was named Yeonmisa handed down orally. The Buddhist sanctum, Daewoonjeon, was extended in 1978, converting the existing 3kans in the front and 1kan in the side into 4kans and 2kans respectively. Since 1986 when the painting was completed, the temple has been preserved as it is now.