It is located on the southern slopes of Jirisan, southwest of sacred Samshin-bong Peak in the Hwagye-dong Valley of Hwagae-myeon, Hadong County, in the province of Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea.

It is said that they were guided to the location by a Jiri-sanshin in the form of a tiger after being instructed by him in dreams to look for a site where arrowroot flowers blossomed through the snow.

He composed "Eosan" [Fish Mountain] with paleumryul [eight tones and rhythms] while watching fish swim in the nearby Seomjin River, and therefore, the spacious lecture pavilion still dedicated to Beompae performance and education at the front of Ssanggyesa is named Palyeong-ru.

A stele dedicated to Jingam seonsa and written by Ch'oe Ch'i-wŏn still stands in the temple, designated the Republic of Korea National Treasure 47.

Most of the rest of the temple dates to the 17th century or after that because all its buildings were burned to the ground by Japanese invaders during the Seven Year War.