Mangwolsa Temple (Gwangju, Gyeonggi)

Mangwolsa Temple is a Buddhist temple located within Namhansanseong Fortress in Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. It is situated near the East Gate of the fortress, built on a steep slope. Mangwolsa is the oldest among the ten temples inside Namhansanseong Fortress and is said to have originated from Mangwolam Hermitage.

This temple was founded by moving the Buddhist statue and the Golden Letter Avatamsaka Sutra from Janguis Temple in Hanyang (present-day Seoul) when King Taejo Yi Seong-gye established the capital in Hanyang, after dismantling Janguis Temple. The old Mangwolsa Temple was completely destroyed by the Japanese colonial rule, and the current buildings were restored later. The site of the current main hall was originally the central hall of the old Mangwolsa Temple. The remaining stone retaining walls throughout the site give a glimpse of the scale and layout of the old Mangwolsa Temple, and a large millstone is preserved as a relic. The stupa located to the right of Daeungbojeon Hall is a 13-story stone pagoda enshrining the sarira (sacred relics) personally received by Monk Seongbeop from the Indian Prime Minister Gandhi, allowing visitors to pray while viewing the stone pagoda.