We’re staying in Gyeongju for two nights. This city with a population of nearly 300, 00 is one of Korea’s most popular tourist destinations. It’s history goes back to 57 BCE when it became the capital of the Silla Kingdom and it remained the capital for nearly 1000 years In the 7th century under King Munmu, the Silla kingdom was successful in conquering the neighboring Baekje and Goguryeo Kingdoms unified the whole peninsula.
We started today’s adventures with a journey to central Gyeongju and Tumuli Park. Tumuli means earth mounds and it is here that 23 tombs of Silla monarchs and family members Like yesterday’s visit to Kaya mound tombs, Silla tombs are very much the same, suggesting that Silla incorporated this method of burial from the Kaya region they conquered.
What captured my attention fairly quickly was how centralized these tombs were to the center of the city. Unlike other cultures that bury their dead some distance away from the ‘land of living,” this is certainly not the case with Silla tombs. Today it makes for a surreal landscape of hilly knowls and city streets, shops and pedestrian walkways. One of the tombs we were able to visit in Tumuli Park is called Cheonmachong, or Heavenly Horse
Tomb which was built around 5th c. C.E. We were able to get a close-up look into how these tombs were built and appreciate the durability of these structures to prevent tomb robbers from plundering the remains and artifacts.
Nearby is the park’s most distinctive and largest two-part tumulus called, Hwangnamdaechong. Previous excavations discovered that this tomb was built for a king and
queen and contained, among other treasures artifacts from Rome, showing that the Silk Road did not end in Xian, China as many people believe but continued on into Korea and eventually into Japan.
Next it was off to Gyeongju National Museum. Here we were led by Ms. Kukhee Hwang in a personal tour through the large collection of historical artifacts of the Silla Kingdom. Here we were shown various objects removed from Silla tombs and nearby
Anapji Pond which reveal much about the people and way of life of this time period in Korea, including the exquisite gold crown found in the Heavenly Horse tomb. Ms. Hwang along with our
Korea Society leader, Ms. Yong Jin Choi pointed a number of artifacts that reveal the impact other Silk Road cultures have had on Korean culture and how this cultural trade and transmission extended to Japan as well through Korea.
After lunch we hiked up Tohamsan Mountain to see the Bulguks-sa Temple. Originally built in AD 528, Bulguk-sa Temple provides and excellent example of arcitecture from the Silla Kingdom, one of the three Kingdoms in ancient Korea. Litterally meaning "Buddha Land, " It emained in tact for more than 1,000 years
until the Japanese destroyed it in 1593. It was reconstructed in the 1970's and now is designated as Historic and Scenic Place No. 1. We entered passing through the gate and by the four guardians 
of the temple. They are there to keep all evil spirits away. Then we saw the temple the main stairway made up of 33 steps, each one representing a step toward enlightenment. (This stairway is one of Korea's National Treasures. ) We then climbed up to the courtyard. Here we saw
two national treasures, two stone pagodas that stand in the courtyard. These pagodas managed to survice the Japanese invasion. The top level is the "Land of The Buddha" and up here I was able to wonder around several temples and meditate in peaceful solitude, placing a stone on top other stones in a garden of "wishing stones."
We started today’s adventures with a journey to central Gyeongju and Tumuli Park. Tumuli means earth mounds and it is here that 23 tombs of Silla monarchs and family members Like yesterday’s visit to Kaya mound tombs, Silla tombs are very much the same, suggesting that Silla incorporated this method of burial from the Kaya region they conquered.What captured my attention fairly quickly was how centralized these tombs were to the center of the city. Unlike other cultures that bury their dead some distance away from the ‘land of living,” this is certainly not the case with Silla tombs. Today it makes for a surreal landscape of hilly knowls and city streets, shops and pedestrian walkways. One of the tombs we were able to visit in Tumuli Park is called Cheonmachong, or Heavenly Horse
Tomb which was built around 5th c. C.E. We were able to get a close-up look into how these tombs were built and appreciate the durability of these structures to prevent tomb robbers from plundering the remains and artifacts.Nearby is the park’s most distinctive and largest two-part tumulus called, Hwangnamdaechong. Previous excavations discovered that this tomb was built for a king and
queen and contained, among other treasures artifacts from Rome, showing that the Silk Road did not end in Xian, China as many people believe but continued on into Korea and eventually into Japan.Next it was off to Gyeongju National Museum. Here we were led by Ms. Kukhee Hwang in a personal tour through the large collection of historical artifacts of the Silla Kingdom. Here we were shown various objects removed from Silla tombs and nearby
Anapji Pond which reveal much about the people and way of life of this time period in Korea, including the exquisite gold crown found in the Heavenly Horse tomb. Ms. Hwang along with our
Korea Society leader, Ms. Yong Jin Choi pointed a number of artifacts that reveal the impact other Silk Road cultures have had on Korean culture and how this cultural trade and transmission extended to Japan as well through Korea.
After lunch we hiked up Tohamsan Mountain to see the Bulguks-sa Temple. Originally built in AD 528, Bulguk-sa Temple provides and excellent example of arcitecture from the Silla Kingdom, one of the three Kingdoms in ancient Korea. Litterally meaning "Buddha Land, " It emained in tact for more than 1,000 years
until the Japanese destroyed it in 1593. It was reconstructed in the 1970's and now is designated as Historic and Scenic Place No. 1. We entered passing through the gate and by the four guardians 
of the temple. They are there to keep all evil spirits away. Then we saw the temple the main stairway made up of 33 steps, each one representing a step toward enlightenment. (This stairway is one of Korea's National Treasures. ) We then climbed up to the courtyard. Here we saw
two national treasures, two stone pagodas that stand in the courtyard. These pagodas managed to survice the Japanese invasion. The top level is the "Land of The Buddha" and up here I was able to wonder around several temples and meditate in peaceful solitude, placing a stone on top other stones in a garden of "wishing stones."
In the mountains above Bulgiska Temple is Seokguram Grotto. In a rotunda inside the grotto sits an image of Sakyamuni Buddha surrounded by three dozen guardians and lesser dieties. Buddha is looking towards the East Sea (Sea of Japan) and is therefore considered to be the protector of his country. I couldn't help but imagine how those huge blocks
of granite quarried far to the North were brought up to this point. Surely, many common Koreans labored intensely to create their protector Buddha. 
Later that evening, we had a lovely Korean barbecue dinner where we cooked our own beef ribs, galbi, on an outdoor picnic table with a grill in the middle of the table along with an assortment of plates called banchon. I’ve learned while in Korea that many Korean dishes such as the galbi are placed on a sesame leaf along with some kind of root vegetables or other dressings are placed on top. Delicious!
After dinner we walked around Anapji Pond. This area. constructed by King Munmu in 674, was once a pleasure garden to commemorate the unification of the Korean peninsula under Silla. The buildings were burned in 935, and many relics ended up in the pond itself, to be rediscovered only when it was drained in 1975. Thousands of well-preserved objects were found that shed light on the Unified Shilla kingdom and its transmissions and trade with Japan. The sun was down when we arrived but the walk around the pond was enhanced by the well lit buildings that lined the lake and cast their images upon the still dark waters. It truely was a lovely ending to a memorable day!
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