which Asadal's wife drowned herself was named "Shadow Pond." Discovery of treasures In 1966, the monks of the temple were awakened by sounds of exploding dynamite. They discovered that thieves had attempted to blast the pagoda and steal what was hidden inside. The thieves ran away before they could steal any of the treasures but the Buddhist monks discovered precious reliquaries, sariras, and the oldest extant example of printed material from a wood block in the world (The Great Dharani Sutra). National treasure No.126 A sarira is a reliquary that contains the remains of an esteemed monk or sometimes royalty. After the failed theft by robbers, workers refurbishing and repairing the pagoda found the treasures hidden inside. Notably, the Dabotap pagoda was dismantled by the Japanese for repairs during the 1920s but no record mentions any treasure recovered. Treasures included a bronze image of a Buddhist spirit, a bronze mirror, a miniature wooden pagoda, silk, perfume, gogok, and beads. A bundle of papers were found in the foundation of the pagoda but they are illegible. The sarira box is shaped like a house, and has an engraved roof. Each of the walls of the case have an engraved vine pattern that runs up to the roof. Lotus motifs are used throughout as well and the top of the roof has a leaf-shaped ornamentation. The oldest extant woodblock print is a copy of the Mugujeonggwang, the Great Dharani Sutra. The text is the oldest extant printed material in the world for several reasons. The pagoda itself was built in 751, the print had to have been made before that date and no other printed material dates before 750–751 CE. It is 620 centimeters in length and eight centimeters in width. The print contains, on average, eight to nine characters per line. The print has deteriorated due to oxidation and restorations in 1988 and 1989 were carried out to preserve the print. See also National treasures of Korea Bulguksa Temple References Cultural Heritage Online: National Treasure No.126 Korean pagodas Stone pagodas Korean culture National Treasures of South Korea Pagodas in South Korea Buildings and structures in Gyeongju Tourist attractions in Gyeongju Silla