main shrine hall housing the temple's main Buddha images Pagoda Myeongbujeon (명부전, 冥府殿) - judgment hall, housing an image of the bodhisattva Kshitigarbha (지장, 地藏) and depictions of the Buddhist hell Nahanjeon (나한전, 羅漢殿) - Hall of the Arhats Sansingak (산신각, 山神閣) - a shamanic shrine dedicated to the mountain god Sansin (산신, 山神), who can be depicted as both a male or a female. Sometimes called chilseong-gak (칠성각, 七星閣) or samseong-gak (삼성각, 三星閣), this shrine is usually found behind the main shrine hall. Hermitage North Korea It is reported that many temples have been taken over by the state. Once the government controls these buildings, they are used mainly as museums of ancient Korean traditions. A few temples are still in use and they are considered National Treasures. Though few temples in large cities survived the US carpet bombings of the Korean War, many still survive in rural areas, and some of the more famous, large temples destroyed have since been rebuilt (such as the Ryongtongsa and Singyesa). All in all, there are 300 temples, but only in a few are religious services permitted. In the list that follows, temples marked with a "×" were destroyed during the Korean War or no longer exist for other reasons; temples marked with an "*" have been rebuilt. South Korea There are about 900 traditional Buddhist temples in South Korea, out of about 20,000 Buddhist temples in total. Notable temples in both Koreas The following list is sorted by Romanized names, but it also can be sorted by Korean names, by provinces (SK=South Korea, NK=North Korea), or by counties (i.e. gun or si). Some Korean names, and founding dates are to be completed (the founding date applies to the location, even if none of the original structures survive). A star in the first column denotes the 31 head temples designated during the Japanese colonial period. Recommended policy: no new entries, except from temples having their own English page in Wikipedia. See also List of Buddhist temples (worldwide) List of Buddhist temples in Seoul provides a list of 55 temples. Temple Stay Three Jewel Temples of Korea Tripiṭaka Koreana Korean temple cuisine References National Treasures of North Korea National Treasures of South Korea Korean culture Lists of Buddhist buildings and structures