Mireuksa

Mireuksa (Korean: 미륵사; Hanja: 彌勒寺) was the largest Buddhist temple in the ancient Korean kingdom of Baekje. The temple was established in 602 by King Mu and is located 36.012083 N, 127.031028 E, modern Iksan, North Jeolla Province, South Korea. The site was excavated in 1980, disclosing many hitherto unknown facts about Baekje architecture. Mireuksaji Stone Pagoda is one of two extant Baekje pagodas. It is also the largest as well as being among the oldest of all Korean pagodas. The legend of the creation of Mireuksa is told in the Samguk yusa. King Mu and his queen were said to have seen a vision of Maitreya at a pond on Yonghwasan. The King promptly had the pond drained to establish the Mireuksa temple complex. The nine-storey wooden pagoda that once stood in the center of the complex is said to have been the work of Baekje master craftsman Abiji. Designated South Korean Historic Site No. 150, Mireuksa has been partially restored and now includes a museum. On 20 June 2018, the second restoration of the Mireuksa pagoda was completed.