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With vague ideas about what to expect in South Korea, Ranjita Biswas is pleasantly surprised to come across a wealth of cultural and historical treasures
For some journeys you are well-prepared mentally; you know what to expect. For instance, in Egypt, pyramids and remnants the great civilisation on the Nile; in Switzerland, its momentous natural beauty and mountains. But sometimes you are caught off-guard, getting surprised by the unexpected.
So it was with me while visiting South Korea. Admittedly, some of it is due to ignorance, or impressions created by images or hearsay. Who doesn’t know about Korea’s conglomerates like Daewoo, Samsung, Hyundai etc in these tech-savvy times? Or about the well coordinated Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988? Perhaps these impressions prepared me to encounter a sleek, modern country which emerged independent from long years of Japanese occupation after the Second World War.
 But in South Korea I discovered another world behind the façade of 21st century modernism. A culture and history that go back to five thousand years- where kings under the Silla kingdom brought in influences from far and wide, even from as far as India and Middle East to incorporate them in their arts and literature, in magnificent buildings around their capital in Gyeongju, today a Unesco World Heritage site.
Gyeongju is a little over four hours’ drive from Seoul. The super-fast KTX- Korea’s ‘Bullet train’, that reaches Gyeongju station is another option.
The area in and around Gyeongju is virtually a living museum with artefacts, palaces and Buddhist relics jostling for attention. The Silla kings (57 BC – 935 AD) had united rival clans and rose to great prosperity and fame. They also adopted Buddhism as the official religion and it was a time when interaction with Buddhist scholars and monks from lands as far as India took place.
In the Seokguram Grotto in the mountainous Tohamsan area, there is a huge granite Buddha statue with a lotus halo in the image of Sakyamuni Tathagata, the enlightened one. It has one of the most serene Buddha faces I have ever seen. The surrounding bas relief sculptures like Brahma-Deva, Indra, Manjusri etc, showcase Indian influence. In fact, the Grotto construction, which is an artificial one, is in line of the Indian tradition of Buddhist sculptures carved into cave walls and grottos.
Down the steps from the hillock of the grotto is the nearby Bulguksa temple complex built as an 'ideal world of Buddha'. The people in Silla period believed that this was the terrestrial paradise of the Buddha land. There are three levels of constructions in granite leading to the ‘paradise’ symbolically and each is connected by bridges named lyrically like, Bridge of the White Cloud, Bridge of Lotus Flower, etc.
 In the central courtyard there is a pillar with a lion; originally there were four. Korea never had lions; the symbol is believed to have arrived from India. Traces of destruction during the Japanese occupation have disappeared with extensive restoration work. Koreans say that Seokguram and Bulguksa are epitomes of Korean cultural reach during the golden Silla period.
Some sites around here is under excavation and each day new examples of Korean history is showing up. Of particular importance are the royal tombs. Koreans, like Egyptians and many other people in different cultures in the past, believed in the after-life. So with the dead, they buried material things, even horses and humans, to make that life equally comfortable.
Seoul, once known as Hanyang, has many beautiful palaces. The 15th century Changdeokgung palace (Palace of Illustrious Virtue) built during Joseon reign in the middle-ages is a Unesco heritage site. The palace with artistically painted wooden ceilings and fluted roofs, was where the royal family lived , their children were taught in a special school, and enjoyed the evening’s cool air around the lily pool in the Secret Garden (Biwon). The constructions show a great attention to the topography with hill tracts, streams and fountains, merged into creating a habitat with harmonious blend with nature.
During the Japanese occupation, members of the royal family lived here  almost under house arrest. It was forbidden ground for the common people in its heyday. We had the fortune of attending a Moonlit Trail in the palace grounds (conducted on certain days) which transformed the place into a dreamy land as flickers of light from paper lanterns carried by sylph-like Korean women in their traditional high-waisted hanbok gowns showed us the way.
The evening culminated in a musical performance of great beauty. Korea’s musical tradition Gugak has two styles- classical for the upper class (jeong-ak) with solemn and intricate melody, and the more boisterous folk or farmer’s music (nong-ak). We had a taste of both with a well-known singer performing who seemed equally at ease in both styles.
Korean food was another discovery. Kimchi - pickled vegetables, fish, meat etc. is an integral part of Korean cuisine served in a common platter to individual bowls of steamed rice and soup. The culinary beauty is in the mix and match; each person can select the combination preferred. Korean food, particularly Kimchi, is rated as one of the healthiest in the world. It has vast varieties and there is even a Kimchi Field Museum in Seoul. One of my favourites was Bibimbap, rice cooked with little water, topped with vegetables and served hot. To bring a sweet ending, the pretty- too pretty-looking to eat sometimes, rice cakes in various shapes and flavours, are perfect.
World Heritage sites, great music and food- what else would you want for a great holiday!
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