National park of South Korea
Gayasan National Park
, also known as
Gaya Mountain National Park
(
Korean
:
伽倻山國立公園
), is a large
national park
in the eastern part of
South Korea
. The park is named in honor of
Gaya Mountain
and became a National Park in 1972.
[2]
The park includes
Haeinsa
, which is one of the main temples of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.
[3]
Geography
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Gayasan National Park covers an area of more than 160 square kilometers. The national park extends from the northern edge of
South Gyeongsang
Province, to the southern limit of
North Gyeongsang
Province. The
Sobaek Mountain range
runs through this area.
Gaya Mountain
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The national park is named in honor of Gaya Mountain. This mountain has two major peaks: one of them is Sangwangbong Peak, for which the height is 1,430 meters, and the other slightly higher peak, Chulbulbong, is 1,433 above sea level.
Special features
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One significant feature of the national park is
Haeinsa
. This Buddhist temple includes in its grounds a standing
Buddha
figure carved into a vertical rock.
Another feature of the park is Yongmun Falls and Hongnyudong Valley. 380 different species of
plant
have been identified as growing there, as well as 100 species of
birds
, and other wild
animals
.
History
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The area was declared scenic site number 5 by the Korean government in 1966, and it became an official
National Park
in 1972.
The remoteness of the area has played a role in protecting it from destruction in the past, specifically during the Japanese invasions of 1592-98, when much of the country was razed.
Since that time, legend says that the area around Gaya Mountains is free from the Three Disasters: fire, floods and wind.
Gallery
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Gayasan from Haeinsa temple
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Gayasan from Southeast
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Ruins of
Baekumam temple
in Gayasan
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Stone walls near Chilbulbong Peak in Gayasan (1)
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Stone walls near Chilbulbong Peak in Gayasan (2)
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Sangwangbong Peak of Gayasan
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Rituals of Buddhism in Gayasan
Recreation
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Gayasan National Park has multiple hiking trails that run through the mountainous park.
[4]
The most trafficked trail begins in Heinsa Temple and contains a guard station that provides park information for visitors.
There are three designated campgrounds within the borders of the park for day use and overnight tent camping.
[4]
References
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External links
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Mountainous national parks
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Marine and coastal national parks
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Historical national parks
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