Sutasa Temple (수타사)

Gongjaksan Mountain (887 m), home to Sutasa Temple and named for its resemblance to a peacock proudly displaying its tail feathers, gives visitors a bird’s-eye-view of Hongcheon. From the bottom, Gongjaksan Mountain looks like a giant laying on his back, looking up to the sky. The mountain offers elegant azaleas in spring, beautiful fall foliage, majestic cliffs with unusual rocks, colonies of pine trees, and a serene snowscape in winter. Sutasa Valley, stretching over 12 kilometers between Sutasa Temple and Nocheon-ri, is full of large ponds and broad bedrocks and is flanked by rocky cliffs and pine groves. Located among the foothills, Sutasa Temple is an ancient temple built by Monk Wonhyo in AD 708. The temple boasts numerous cultural properties including the gabled roof of Daejeokgwangjeon, a bronze bell, a three-tiered pagoda, and Wolinseokbo, a biography of Buddha that has been designated as a National Treasure.