 K. P. Munirathnam, 53, the Indian Overseas Bank (IOB)'s branch office representative in Seoul visited Bongeunsa, one of Seoul's downtown temples last Sunday afternoon. He entered the main Dharma hall, lit an incense stick and made three bows in front of the statue of the Buddha. "I'm a Hindu but not feeling strange about my going to a temple because I believe I can see Vishnu, the god of Hinduism, in a Buddhist statue," he said.
Munirathnam goes to the temple twice a month with his wife, daughter and son and says a prayer for peace of mind. What really attracted him was the tile-roof and the painting finish, with the wall painting of the life of Buddha as his favorite. He says, "I remember similar painting in India. It's like there is much in common between Indian and Korean cultures."
After praying in the temple, he goes to the COEX, across the street, with his family to spend quality time shopping, eating and watching movies in the Megabox. Munirathnam first came to Korea in September 2001 and ever since then, he likes to go shopping at Migliore and Doosan Tower in Dongdaemun, Messa in Namdaemun and Myeong-dong late at night to enjoy the night scene. There is no such place in India, he says, and it looks funny to see merchants luring passersby, by speaking out loudly about their wares.
(Keum Won-seob, capedm@chosun.com )
Bongeunsa and its Environs
The traditional and the modern stand facing each other in Samseong-dong, Gangnam, divided by a street called Bongeunsa.
At the foot of Mount Sudo lies the temple itself, first built in the Silla dynasty (668-935) during the reign of King Weonseong, and rebuilt by the Jeonghyeon royal family during the Joseon period (1392-1910). Inside the temple grounds lie the Beobwangnu (ceremony hall), shrine to the mountain god, a meditation hall for laypeople, "Iljumun" (front gate to temple), and a tablet written by the famous calligrapher Kim Jeong-hui. Thirteen different sutras (scriptures), such as the Huayen (Flower Garment) sutra, Diamond sutra, and Vimalakirti sutra, consisting of 3,479 chapters in all, that were carved in stone by the monk Yeonggi have also been well preserved in Bongeunsa.
In the basement of the building across the street is the COEX Mall. The mall houses a multi-theater complex, the COEX Aquarium, Bandi & Luni's, a large-sized bookstore, and a kimchi museum where one can learn about the history of the spicy Korean food and taste the different kinds of kimchi.
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