History
Founded by the Chontae Buddhist sect in 1027, the temple is believed to be one of the first of the sect's temples in Korea. Destroyed by a fire in the 16th century, and further damaged by American bombing during the Korean War, little remained of the original temple when reconstruction began in 2000 as a joint Korean cultural project. After five years of work, the restoration was completed on 31 October 2005. The temple contains the ashes of Taegak Guksa, the sect's founder. A son of Emperor Munjong of Koryo, he spent most of his life in Kaesŏng before retiring to the temple as an ascetic, where he lived until his death. The temple was thus closely connected with the royal family of Koryo, and was where they would attend services.
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