Tongdosa

Template:Koreanname noimage Tongdosa is one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea. It represents the Buddha, and is located on Yeonchuk-san in Yangsan City, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. The main hall in Tongdosa opens out onto a stupa which the faithful claim contains relics of the Buddha. It was founded in 646 by the monk Jajang, during the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla. It thrived throughout the Unified Silla and Goryeo periods, when Buddhism was the state religion, and remained strong even in the Joseon Dynasty. Only one building, the daeungjeon hall, survived the Seven Year War in the late 16th century; the other buildings were rebuilt after that time.