In 374 the influential Han Chinese monk Ado arrived in the kingdom and inspired King Sosurim of Goguryeo the following year.
With the advent of Taoism in 624 the rulers began to suppress Buddhism and its importance quickly declined.
Taejo of Joseon himself was a devout Buddhist, but the influence of monks was reduced.
Buddhist heritage can be found all over the country in the form of temples, pagodas, sculptures, paintings, handicrafts and buildings.
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).
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.