Jiri-san

The “Exquisite Wisdom Mountain” is probably the very holiest of South Korea's mountains, as well as its first and largest National Park. It sprawls over five counties and three provinces, featuring its three sacred summits Cheonhwang-bong [Heavenly-King Peak] (1915m), Banya-bong [Enlightening-Wisdom Peak] (1733m) and Nogo-dan [Crone-Altar Peak] (1507m). Jiri-san is host to innumerable Shamanic shrines and many ancient and modern Buddhist temples which attract many pilgrims. This mountain is believed by some to be the secondary Korean residence of Munsu Bosal [Manjusri]. Among the most prominent of its grand monasteries is Hwaeom-sa [Flower-Garland-Sutra Temple], reconstructed in the 670s by Great Master Uisang to to serve as a center for the study of the Hwaeom [Hua-yen] doctrines.