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Start
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Hwangmae Mountain
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Theme Park
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Gagopa Sikdang
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Jeongyang Wetland
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Punggyong
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Sonkalguksu
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Sorigil
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Seongbo Museum
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Haeinsa Temple
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Gobau Sikdang
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Finish
In order to get to Hapcheon Haeinsa, you’re going to have to follow Gayasan Sorigil. Sorigil is a 7km long trail but if you drive a car to the ticket office, you could walk 3.3km to the temple. This trail is also called Hongryudong(紅流洞) as the mountaintops are covered with pink royal azaleas and turned to red along with the river in autumn. It was November when I was there when the red leaves fallen down already so I couldn’t see the amazing scenery but still, it was the best trail to take a walk in meditation. Shall we move on?
We parked the car in a parking lot right past the ticket office and headed to the trail. Haeinsa Temple is 3.3km away from this place and you can walk from here but the most beautiful course is 600m from here to Gilsangam Hermitage. So I am planning to walk about 600m and come back here, drive up to Seongbo Museum, park the car, and climb up to Haeinsa about 1km.
Sorigil has beautiful valley on the way and 600m long trail has no steps so that those who have physical difficulties could enjoy the walk. This used to be called Gayasan(Gaya Mountain) Sorigil since it’s on Gaya Mountain but currently, it’s called Haeinsa Sorigil.
The river has less water than in the summer but it’s still flowing heavy and clean. As I see clear water, I already miss summer even if winter hasn’t come yet.
Watching Hongryudong on an arch-shaped bridge, I thought we have to take a picture as well so we did. Be tolerant with us. ^^*
After we crossed the arch-shaped bridge, there’s a pavilion called Nongsanjeong(籠山亭). This one is where Goun Choi Chi-won, a scholar that represents Confucianism in the Silla Dynasty, used to live in seclusion and practiced ascerticism. It has two blocks in the front and two blocks on the sides, quite bigger than the regular ones. Suddenly, I think living here in seclusion doesn’t seem so bad.
You’ll see round bridge right after the straight trail on riverside and then another trail in the forest.
The 7km long road consists of various trails like this and you could easily walk since it’s not so steep or dangerous.
I could see so many wish towers on riverside since this leads to Haeinsa. I am afraid that their wishes would be swept away when the river fills in summer. I also put a stone on the tower built around the riverside. I’m not the only one who thinks that it is my loss not to do what others do, right?
Everything I meet here, every stone on river bed and every tree in brushwood was beautiful. Having a break while listening to the sound of flowing water could not have been more relaxing.
After a walk about 600m from the ticket office, you’ll meet a small temple called Gilsangam Hermitage. This temple is small but the statue of the Buddha near the valley and the pagodas were big.
Those small buildings are Gilsangam Hermitage on the stairs. This place was built by the Monk Yeongam in 1972 and it also has Shrine for Sakyamuni Buddha’s Sarira. This shrine keeps Sakyamuni Buddha’s Sarira inside it.
Sorigil was made with minimum damage to the nature and people are now walking around the trees that they would’ve cut them down in old times. It’s a right thing to do. Hasim(下心) refers to looking up to others while being modest, which is the basic principle of Buddhism. But we do not have to look up to other people on purpose. Because it comes natural when you become modest.
There are so many places for Hasim right? The right function of traveling is that I become to realize so many things by reading one word like this, Hasim. I always wished other people would look up to me but I never thought to be looked up to by being modest.
It’s also fun to find hidden places walking along the trail. Among 19 tourist attractions on Gaya Mountain, Sorigil has 16 of them on it and you’ll find them one by one as you walk. The places I’ve shown you so far are included in 19 attractions. And this one is known as the most beautiful among 19 sceneries called Nakhwadam. I couldn’t get the whole cliff since it’s so big but the invisible upper part is steep cliff. The leaves fallen from the cliff are circling on water and flowing down.
Just like its name, you can constantly hear the sound while you walk this trail. Sound of water, sound of wind, sound of birds and sound of people’s footsteps, all the sounds bring joy to my ears and mind. Somehow the stones on river bed are all connected as one. They turned out to be one big rock that shows us overwhelming dignity of nature that human beings can never surpass. It makes me think I should not make enemies or be greedy over small things.
Not there’s a short way to Haeinsa. I’ll show you around Seongbo Museum that is located 1km ahead of Haeinsa though. We can hear the stories about various treasures, national treasures and the Tripitaka Koreana reserved in Haeinsa Temple. Today, we’ve walked 3.3km from the ticket office slowly so it took us one and a half hours but it was not boring at all. The steep was gentle and even if wasn’t, it’s okay for children as well. I want you to enjoy a great meditation here.
Address : 1502-9, Gayasan-ro, Gaya-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do (경상남도 합천군 가야면 가야산로 1502-9)
Telephone : 055-930-8000
Parking Fee : Car: 4,000 won
Admission Fee : Adult: 3,000 won, Adolescent: 1,500 won, Child: 700 won
※ Credit cards are not accepted.
