Simwoosa Temple

Simwoosa (also known as Geochang Pogyodang) was founded in May 1935 by the monk Wolam, on land donated by the lay Buddhist Lee Hyeon-bo.

As a temple set right in the heart of the city, it holds regular services on the first and fifteenth of every lunar month, when monks and devotees gather to pray together. Its grounds include a main hall, a five-story stone pagoda, and a bell pavilion with its temple bell.

Inside the main hall sits a particularly notable pair of treasures: the wooden seated Amitabha Buddha of Simwoosa, designated a national Treasure, and the Three Bodhisattvas painting of Simwoosa, designated a Gyeongsangnam-do cultural heritage material.

What sets this temple apart from deep mountain temples is exactly this — a place of faith found right in the middle of everyday life in downtown Geochang.