To prevent this disaster, one night Monk Doseon (도선국사) called stone masons down from heaven to build a thousand Buddha statues and pagodas at Unjusa, in the southwestern part of the peninsula.
[2] The 21 stone pagodas that are scattered in the surrounding fields and mountains vary in shape and are 3,5,7 and 9 stories in height.
These are the most common techniques frequently observed among the remaining pagodas of Unjusa, along with the geometric wrinkle patterns of the stone Buddha statue's garments.
The remaining Buddha statues scattered throughout the fields around, and on the grounds of, Unjusa vary in size from dozens of centimeters/inches to more than 10m/33 ft high.
[6] Monk Doseon found the topology of the valley to be suggestive of a great ship so he thought his temple needed a sail and shipmaster.
The base stone is resting on a large rock, and the pagoda is engraved with a full complement of geometric patterns.
With the roof stone corners jauntily lifted up and a comb-pattern along the eaves, this pagoda represents grandeur of the finish detail typical of the latter period of the Goryeo Dynasty.
This Bulgam was constructed in the style of a wooden house having a hip roof with a ridge cap on top.
Within the openings to the north and south, twin Buddha statues are positioned seated back-to-back.
Because of the unique positioning of the two images, this shrine is highly valuable to the study of Buddhist sculpture.
The Buddha statues present a rather stiffened expression in a plain and simple manner, known to be a local trait developed during the Goryeo Dynasty.
The twin stone Buddha statues found seated back-to-back inside this shrine presents a unique sight.
On the upper part of the pagoda, stone material is placed connecting the main support column.
In general, it follows an elegant style of masonry with the overall proportions typical of the Silla era pagoda.
The two "Wabul", or the Lying Stone Statues of Buddha, are located on the western side of the top of the mountain heading southward.
The larger Buddha on the left side has less body balance due to the narrow shoulder width compared to that of the knees.
The sign of the fingers (Mudras - symbolic or ritual hand gestures) of the smaller Buddha may express the offering contentment in living to people as the Goddess of Mercy.
A legend says that after erecting 1,000 stone statues of Buddha and pagodas in one night, Doseon Guksa (a monk in the late Silla period) was about to erect these last two statues of Buddha when he had to suspend the construction because of the first crow of the rooster at dawn, sending the stonemasons back to heaven.
The nimbus with a flame pattern was carved using a depressed engraving method on a trapezoid stone backing.
This pagoda was located originally on land used for farming so the monks of Unjusa purchased all the encompassing farmland and converted it to lawn surrounding the temple grounds.
The angles of the four roof hips are not acute but are gently sloped in the style from the Baekjae Dynasty (18 BCE – 660 CE).
The roof stones of each story have the same linear line as angled rafters, with eaves elevated at each corner to shed rain.