Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon
| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
 2017 appearance | |
 Interactive map of Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon | |
| Part of | Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks |
| Criteria | Cultural: iv, vi |
| Inscription | 1995 (19th Session) |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 합천 해인사 장경판전 |
| Hanja | 陜川 海印寺 藏經板殿 |
| RR | Hapcheon Haeinsa Janggyeongpanjeon |
| MR | Hapch'ŏn Haeinsa Changgyŏngp'anjŏn |
 2008 appearance | |
| Location | Haeinsa, Hapcheon, South Korea |
|---|---|
| Designated | 1962-12-20 |
| Reference no. | 52 |
The Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon (Korean: 합천 해인사 장경판전) is a 15th-century wooden depository complex built to house the Tripitaka Koreana (Goryeo Daejanggyeong, National Treasure No. 32).[1] It is located on the mid-slope of Gayasan Mountain in Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.[1] The complex was officially designated as South Korea's National Treasure No. 52 in 1962 and inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1995.[1] It serves as a single-purpose architectural facility created exclusively to preserve 81,258 wooden printing blocks for several centuries.[2]
History
[edit]The temple of Haeinsa is believed to have been founded in 802 by the two monks who finished studying and returned from Tang China. The legend says King Aejang brought his sick queen to the monks and then they succeeded in healing her. The king in return for the treatment established the temple in awe of the Buddha's mercy.[2][3]
The depository, the oldest existing building in the temple[2] was designed to keep a Korean collection of the Tripiṭaka (Buddhist scriptures), carved onto 81,352 wooden printing blocks in the 13th century.[4] The principal purpose of printing was to seek the Buddha's power to repel the Mongol invasions of Korea.[5] Going through a major renovation in 1457, the buildings were rebuilt in 1488 under the supervision of Buddhist Monk Hakjo and with the support of the royal family.[2] Even though the temple was swept by a series of catastrophes, the building was spared, especially during the Imjin War (1592–1598).[6] Records show that the depositories underwent two more renovation works in 1622 and 1624.[2]
Characteristics
[edit]The complex consists of four distinct wooden halls arranged in a unified rectangular layout that encloses a central courtyard.[1] The two primary long structures—Sudarajang to the south and Beopbojeon to the north—are positioned parallel to each other.[7]
Stripped of Korean traditional decorative painting or lavish decorative elements, the structures emphasize their genuine functional minimalism.[2][7][8] The simple wooden frame and unadorned interior shelves are systematically arranged to optimize space, maximize air exposure, and prevent structural overload from the immense weight of the thousands of heavy printing woodblocks.[7][8]
Architecture
[edit]Janggyeong Panjeon was completed in 1488 during the early period of the Joseon. The wooden structure with two halls is 60.44 meters long and 8.73 meters wide.[9]
The building is universally celebrated as a masterpiece of eco-friendly, passive micro-climate control engineering that functions without modern mechanical systems. To facilitate natural cross-ventilation, windows of contrasting sizes are installed on the front and rear walls: the front lower windows are larger than the upper ones, while on the rear wall, the upper windows are larger.[7] The floor beneath the woodblock racks consists of deep, alternating layers of charcoal, quicklime, salt, and sand, which absorb excess moisture during wet summer seasons and release humidity during dry winter periods.[9] Positioned at an elevation of 655 meters, the orientation of the buildings takes full advantage of mountain winds and sunlight to regulate temperature and ward off pest infestation.[1][2][7]
In modern world
[edit]Naver Corporation, South Korean internet conglomerate launched its data center platform, Datacenter Gak in Chuncheon and Sejong. The name Gak is named after Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories, given that "gak" was a traditional terminology indicating buildings that are dedicated to preserving invaluable books and documents.[10]
The center says its aim is to keep the spirit of Janggyeonggak alive that has been protecting Tripitaka Koreana. Additionally, its constructive feature also applies the characteristics of historic treasure to go green, such as traditional design elements and cutteing-edge environmental techniques.[11][12]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 5 "Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon, the Depositories for the Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks". UNESCO. UNESCO. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Janggyeongpanjeon Depositories of Haeinsa Temple, Hapcheon". National Heritage Portal (in Korean and English). Korea Heritage Service.
- ↑ "Haeinsa Temple, rural Gyeongnam, Korea, South". Asian Historical Architecture. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Printing woodblocks of the Tripiṭaka Koreana and miscellaneous Buddhist scriptures". UNESCO Memory of the World. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Haeinsa Tripitaka Koreana Woodblocks to Be Digitally Accessible". Asia-e Daily. 2024-03-18. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ Tripitaka Library, Janggyeong Panjeon (National Treasure No.52)
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Haeinsa Temple's Repositories of the Tripitaka Koreana". Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism.
- 1 2 "Printing woodblocks of the Tripiṭaka Koreana and miscellaneous Buddhist scriptures". Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (South Korea) (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- 1 2 "Haeinsa Temple Janggyeong Panjeon". Korean Broadcasting System . Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Naver's Sejong Gak data center to scale GPU services". Korea Joongang Daily. 2025-10-28. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Spirit of data center GAK". Retrieved 2026-08-10.
- ↑ "Top 10 beautiful data centers". Data Cemter Dynamics. 2017-06-05. Retrieved 2026-08-10.
External links
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