Pulguksa

Pulguksa lies on the east side of the historic city of Gyeongju. The temple was first built in 535 during the reign of King Pophung ( 514-540), the first Shilla king to accept Buddhism. In 751, the temple was expanded during the reign of King Kyongdok ( 742-765) by Kim Tae-song, the chief minister, in honor of his parents . At the time of its completion, it was one of the largest Buddhist temples with more than 80 wooden buildings. It served as the center of Shilla Buddhism and of prayer for the protection of the country from foreign invasion. The entire temple was reduced to ashes by the Japanese invaders in 1593. The temple was completely restored in 1973 .