Samgwangsa Temple

This is a Busan Ex-Pat City Guide post. Check out the rest of my list here.

Let’s jump right into things, folks: Samgwangsa Temple on Buddha’s Birthday was easily one of the most stunning place I’ve been to this past year in Korea. It will undoubtedly top my pending “Korean Bucket List Roundup” in three months time, and frankly, I find it odd that it’s not more widely publicized as a “must see in Busan” (besides on CNN’s “50 beautiful places to visit in Korea” list).

When you Google Samgwangsa (or Samkwang) Temple, there’s comparatively less information about it than say, the Haedong Yonggungsa Water Temple. This is pretty surprising, but I suppose it makes sense – one of the temple’s main draws is that it holds Busan’s largest Lotus Lantern Festival once a year in the weeks leading up to and following Buddha’s Birthday. That said, the temple grounds themselves are quite ostentatious and commanding, rivalled by perhaps only the water temple, mentioned above.

Given that Buddha’s Birthday is a nationally recognized public holiday in Korea (like Children’s Day before it), I took opportunity of my day off to visit Samgwangsa Temple with Steph, Mary, and Nina, as well as some new friends, including my lovely new co-teacher Brandi.

We arrived at Seomyeon Station shortly after 5:30PM to ensure we would catch the setting sun, only to chase our tails for 20 minutes in search of the bus that would actually carry us to the temple. Eventually, we opted for a cab.

The neighbourhood housing Samgwangsa is not what I expected. The temple grounds are located pretty centrally in Seomyeon, while most other temples I’ve visited (Beomeosa and Seokbulsa, namely) have been quite remote. There were convenience stores and coffee shops lining the street running adjacent to the temple, allowing anxieties of  “oh no, our cab driver doesn’t know where he is going” to take root. Once we began to see a string of vividly coloured lanterns, I knew we were in the right place.

A slight incline coupled with some dancing ajummas in the street later and we had reached the mainstay of the temple, which is frankly too absurd to even try to explain (allow me to try anyway). There were lanterns of every colour, shape, and size everywhere, hung with care by the Buddhist monks of Samgwangsa. There were wafting aromas from the stalls manned by ajummas selling delicious street foods. There were two glowing dragons at the temple’s apex, rearing their heads upwards to the sky in unison. Once the sun set, they began emitting billowing smoke and blowing fire from their mouths. All around us, families, individuals, the young, the old, all marvelled at the unreal sights that Samgwangsa was offering in bulk. This place was seriously like the Costco of temples.

After walking through the temple grounds, we returned its centre to watch the lanterns light up. I didn’t think the surroundings could be any more beautiful, but was discredited once the sun disappeared, as I have been so often before in this beautiful country. Ultimately, any attempt at describing Samgwangsa will do an incredible injustice, so just continue scrolling for the photos.

Samgwangsa Temple, as its etymology designates, provides “three rays of light” – a verdant setting in an albeit urban yet serene setting, towering shrines and pagodas, and a quiet reputation of splendour amongst foreigners. If you’re lucky enough to visit this hidden gem during Buddha’s Birthday, take it in and feel fortunate you did.

To get to Samgwangsa Temple, take the Green Line on the Busan Subway (Line 2) to Seomyeon Station (stop 219). Go out exit 13, and take bus number 81 or 122 towards Samgwangsa Temple. Get out at the Songyeong Apt. stop. The temple will be approximately five minutes from the bus stop. Additionally, a cab from Seomyeon Station cost ₩5,000. Entrance to the temple is free.