Five Hundred Arhats of Changnyeongsa Temple Site

The FIVE HUNDRED ARHATS of CHANGNYEONGSA TEMPLE SITE is a newly adapted and edited version of the Korean catalog for the special exhibition Five Hundred Arhats of Changnyeongsa Temple Site: Reflection of Our Hearts, presented at the Chuncheon National Museum in 2018 and the National Museum of Korea in 2019. The five hundred arhats were discovered in May 2001 at the site of old Changnyeongsa Temple in Yeongwol, Gangwon-do Province. The arhats’ very approachable, simple, and friendly faces of ordinary Koreans, rather than having the sacred faces of enlightenment, captivated and delighted audiences when displayed at the exhibitions. The Korean word nahan - a transliterated and shortened form of the Sanskrit words arahan or arahat - means the saints who gained enlightenment from the teachings of Sakyamuni. Projecting deep faith surpassing the realm of religion, the arhats of Changnyeongsa Temple Site introduce a new kind of Korean aesthetic to the world.