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You are here Home » Korea: Buddha’s Birthday, Bota-Sa

Korea: Buddha’s Birthday, Bota-Sa

May 26, 2016 By Nancie 17 Comments

Bota-Sa

Bota-sa was our next stop during Buddha’s birthday celebrations.  Welcome to Week 279  (5/26/2016) of Travel Photo Thursday. This is going to be a quick post. I am really under a lot of time constraints right now with the end of the semester looming. Do enjoy a bit more of Buddhas birthday this week.

After enjoying the festivities at Bomun-sa and Mit’a-sa, we made our back to the bus and managed to creep through the traffic to our next destination, Bota-Sa hermitage. The temple serves as a convent for approximately 50 nuns studying Buddhism and social work. Bota-Sa was relatively quiet. This order of nuns is connected to a temple near the city of Daegu, so most of them traveled there for Buddha’s birthday. The temple is known for its fifteen foot white Kwanseum Posal (or Goddess of Mercy),  carved on the rock behind the main temple building.

Bota-sa

We passed these grave markers on the way up to Bota-sa.

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

A quiet corner at Bota-Sa…

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Beautiful floral arrangement in front of the main temple building.

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

A description of the famed stone Buddha.

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Hard to get a shot that shows the complete statue. I needed a different lens! However, I think the head is the most interesting aspect. I don’t remember seeing a Buddha look like this anywhere else in Asia. Apparently, this is how Buddha was visually represented during the Goryeo Period in Korea.

I was intrigued by the eyebrows and the lips. I’m wondering if this is original, or do the nuns make him up for the occasion? 🙂

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Candles at the base of the statue lit in celebration of Buddha’s birthday.

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Buddha’s birthday decorations are not complete without colorful lanterns.

 

Bota-Sa Temple, Seoul, Korea

 

Bota-sa is just down the street from where I work. To get there take subway line 6 and get off at Anam Station. Check out the map here.  Like most temples, it’s usually opened daily from sunrise to sunset. While you’re in the neighborhood, visit the beautiful buildings on the Korea University campus.

 

Please welcome our co-hosts this week: Jan from Budget Travel Talk Ruth from Tanama Tales  Rachel from Rachel’s Ruminations

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Nancie

Food, culture, museums, architecture, the people, and unplanned surprises are what I love most about travel. Forty countries and counting.
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Filed Under: Destinations, Korea, Travel Photo Thursday Tagged With: Anam-Dong, Bota-Sa, Buddha's Birthday Celebrations 2016, Buddhist temples in Korea, Buddhist temples in Seoul, Goddess of Mercy, Korea, Seoul, White Buddha

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Previous Post: « Korea: Buddha’s Birthday Tour Seoul Part 1
Next Post: Windows around the World »

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Comments

  1. Indrani says

    May 27, 2016 at 10:40 am

    The features of Buddha’s idol are so beautiful and radiates so much of peace. Very well captured.
    Great knowing about this place.
    Happy #TPT. 🙂

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 27, 2016 at 7:15 pm

      Hi Indrani. Thank you! I agree, definitely a feeling of peace radiates from this statue.

      Reply
  2. Lydia C. Lee says

    May 27, 2016 at 2:33 pm

    I just wrote a comment and it said it wasn’t enough but the link back then didn’t work??? I hope this is enough…??

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 27, 2016 at 7:14 pm

      Hi Lydia. Sorry your having problems commenting! Thanks for linking up this week.

      Reply
  3. Sophie says

    May 27, 2016 at 4:59 pm

    Buddha does look slightly feminine there, doesn’t he… but then I suppose the Buddha transcends mere gender stereotypes.

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 27, 2016 at 7:16 pm

      Hi Sophie. That is so true, and I think it is always interesting how each country depicts Buddha and how that image can change with time.

      Reply
      • Graham says

        June 12, 2016 at 8:10 am

        We were surprised to see in Thailand and Laos a mixture of feminine, masculine and androgynous buddhas. Most of them were pretty skinny too – a far remove from the big jolly fat Buddha we grew up knowing.

        Reply
  4. budget jan says

    May 27, 2016 at 8:16 pm

    That is a beautiful floral arrangement Nancie and I like the pure white candles at the base of the statue. The candles I’ve seen in temples in Cambodia and Vietnam were a creamy colour. Maybe this pure white ones were special for Buddha’s birthday.

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 29, 2016 at 6:24 am

      Hi Jan. The Buddhist temples here always seem to use white candles. I’ve been in quite a few Buddhist shops over the years, and usually only white are for sale. I wanted to take the flower arrangement home. Not sure what I would do with it! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Life Images by Jill says

    May 27, 2016 at 9:12 pm

    I would think this Buddha would seem to be looking at you wherever you stood. I hope the end of semester doesn’t prove to be too stressful. Perhaps just sit for a while like Buddha.

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 29, 2016 at 6:25 am

      Hi Jill. Yes, sitting like Buddha sounds like a perfect idea right about now. Yes, Buddha’s eyes were watching and traveling. 🙂

      Reply
  6. Ja says

    May 27, 2016 at 10:34 pm

    Like Jan I was taken by the candles and the floral arrangement. Hang in there, the semester’s end is coming. (Where did that year go?)

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 29, 2016 at 6:27 am

      Hi Jackie! I know! Hard to believe that summer is almost here…YAY. What happened to your name? You went into my spam. thought maybe your site got hijacked.

      Reply
  7. Anita says

    May 28, 2016 at 3:15 am

    Love the photos Nancie. The Buddha’s expression really is thought provoking. Hope you have a bit of time off soon! And, if I remember right, Nova Scotia should be in your plans soon.

    Reply
    • Nancie says

      May 29, 2016 at 6:28 am

      Hi Anita. Yes, I’ll be in Canada on July 21st. First Vancouver for 10 days, and then off to Halifax for 3 weeks. I am counting the days. 🙂

      Reply
  8. Marcia says

    May 31, 2016 at 10:36 am

    This Buddha’s features look so lifelike, especially the eyes.

    Reply
  9. Michele {Malaysian Meanders} says

    June 10, 2016 at 3:52 pm

    This Goddess of Mercy looks very different than the one that’s famous in Penang. The Bota-sa one seems so serene. Do you go to this place often since it’s so nearby?

    Reply

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