Sangwonsa

The temple was first founded in 705 by two Silla-era princes, Bocheon (보천; 寶川) and Hyomyeong (효명; 孝明), in which according to the Samguk Yusa, these two princes each founded a hermitage on the spots where they saw a blue lotus blooming. Initially called Jinyeowon (진여원; 眞如院), the temple name changed to Sangwonsa during the Goryeo dynasty, when it underwent a major renovation. The temple was spared during the suppression of Buddhism of the Joseon dynasty; instead, it underwent expansion, with new buildings being built on the orders of King Taejong. King Sejo also had a deep relationship with this temple, who not only helped to renovate and expand, but also donated items such as bowls and clothing, as well as a set of Tripitaka Koreana, and even gathered monks to meditate together. Because of this, Sangwonsa enjoyed tax-exemption benefits throughout the Joseon dynasty per the will of King Sejo.{{Citation |last=Kim |first=Ui-seok |title=오대산 상원사 (五臺山 上院寺) |work=한국민족문화대백과사전 [Encyclopedia of Korean Culture] |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0027234 |access-date=2025-03-31 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}

In 1946, the temple was burnt down after a fire accidentally broke out. It was rebuilt in 1947 by Lee Jong-wook (이종욱; 李鍾郁), the head priest of Woljeongsa. During the Korean War, as UN troops retreated from the north, Walton Walker and Kim Baek-il [ko], who were commanders of the U.S. 8th Army and Republic of Korea Army I Corps respectively, ordered a scorched earth policy of the area. The monk Hanam (한암; 漢巖) prevented the temple from destruction by vowing to defend it with his life, and in the end the troops decided to remove a few doors and burn them instead, to create the illusion of the temple being burned; both the monk and the officers decision had spared the loss of cultural heritage.{{Cite web |last=Kim |first=Gwang-sik |date=2010-01-08 |title=상원사에 불을 지르라 한 한암스님 |url=http://newsplus.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/01/08/2010010801061.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721103154/http://newsplus.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/01/08/2010010801061.html |archive-date=2015-07-21 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=Chosun Ilbo |language=Korean}}{{Cite web |last=Park |first=Bu-young |date=2007-01-27 |title=월정사(上) - 전소과정과 불사 시작 |url=https://www.ibulgyo.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=78613 |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=불교신문 |language=ko}}

The temple grounds contains the following:

• Bell of Sangwonsa (designated as National Treasure No. 36 in 1962)
• Sakyamuni Buddha statue
• Manjusri Bodhisattva statue
• The wooden statue of boy Manjusri [ko] (designated as National Treasure No. 793 in 1984)
• The wooden statue of Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva

• Yeongsanjeon Sakyamuni Triad and Sixteen Arhats [ko] (designated as Gangwon-do Tangible Cultural Property No. 162 in 2011)
• Documents of Sangwonsa Temple [ko] (designated as National Treasure No. 292 in 1997)

• Bell of Sangwonsa

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.woljeongsa.org/sang_index.php Official website] {{in lang|ko}}

Category:Buddhist temples in South Korea

Category:Buddhist temples of the Jogye Order

Category:Pyeongchang County

Category:Buildings and structures in Gangwon Province, South Korea

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