Namhansanseong is a great place for autumn excursions. We can see the stone tower of Tower Park, which is said to have been built by an old man, at the end of Dongmun, which is connected to Road No. 308. The wind rose in the thick forests, and leaves fell like rain. Sanseong is such a great place for an excursion to see maple leaves in autumn. I moved from Namhansanseong Rotary to Dongmun, and turned left to go to Mangweolsa and Janggyeongsa.

It is said that Janggyeongsa was built by Geumdanseonsa to pray for a mother and a son who died miserably, and that the stone tower of Mangweolsa was built by a lady who failed to marry the one she loved, and so pursued Buddhist values for the rest of her life. Two temples with sad legends are located near Dongmun of Namhansanseong.

Mangweolsa with the Sad Love Story
Mangweolsa is magnificent. The temple is located on the foot of a steep mountain. It is like a gallery in a mountain, as the large windows of Daewungjeon reflect the autumn scenery and the newly built stone tower. There are Geungrakbojeon and large-scale Daewungbojeon at the back. We can see the castle of Dongmun from Daewungbojeon. Jeokmyeolbogung Tower in the yard of Daewungjeon and Mountain Byeongpung are popular among visitors of Mangweolsa. The stone tower symbolizes the story of the hopeless love of a lady.

There was a couple that loved each other so much, but they had to break up because their families became sworn brothers. The lady failed to forget her lover, and decided to take the veil. She came to Mangweolsa, and laid down stones whenever she missed her lover, ultimately building a tower. Meanwhile, her lover came to Janggyeongsa, the temple located on the opposite side of Mangweolsa, after breaking up with his lover, and studied Buddhism. In order to renounce worldly desires, he took a walk around the temple. He saw and saved a lady who had fallen while building a tower. Surprisingly, she was his lover from long ago. He asked Gongyangju Bosal to take care of her and went back to Janggyeongsa. A few days later, he visited her again, and heard the story of her over the wall. He wanted to see her smile, but he decided to enter the Buddhist priesthood that night. She recovered, and returned to Mangweolsa, not knowing anything. She continued to build the tower, waiting for her lover who would not come back.

The story reminded me of the essay of Pi Cheon-Deuk. “We miss someone for life, but life separates lovers. I have met Asako three times. I regret the third meeting with her. I am going to Chuncheon this weekend, and the autumn scenery of Soyang River will be beautiful.”

The legend of Mangweolsa is as sad as the essay of Pi Cheon-Deuk.

[Tourist Information]
Monument No. 111, Gyeonggi-do
Gaewonsa, Mangweolsa and Janggyeongsa are the oldest temples remain among nine temples of Namhansanseong. Sites of other temples remain, and Mangweolsa has been newly built on the old site since 1990.

◆ Location
Research Keyword: Namhansanseong Mangweolsa
Address: 14 Sanseong-ri, jungbu-myeon, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province
By Car: Namhansanseong Rotary → Go to the direction of Dongmun → Turn left when Dongmun appears → Go up the hill to get to Mangweolsa
Yangjae IC of Gyeongbu Expressway → Heolleungro → Segokdong Sageori → Yakjinro → Sanseong Tunnel → Jungng Parking Lot → Go to the direction of Dongmun → Turn left in front of Dongmun → Mangweolsa

Public Transportation: Get off at the final stop of Sanseong and walk to the direction of Dongmun until there is a sign.
No. 9: Sanseong Rotary
No. 15-1: Gwangjiwon Jungbu Myeon Office  Sanseong Rotary (intervals of 30 minutes)
No. 52: Sanseong Rotary  Nammun  Sanseong Station  Jonghap Market  Moran  Sangdaewon (intervals of 50 minutes)

◆ Adjacent Tourist Destinations
Namhansanseong, Namhansanseonghaenggung, Chimguaejeong, Jisudang, Hyeonjeolsa, Janggyeongsa, Catholic Site of Namhansanseong and Namhansanseong Historic Museum