Springtime in Odae-san 오대산

Odae-san 오대산 is one of the sacred mountains in Korean Buddhism and Shindo. On May 15, 2003, a spring festival and ritual was held around San-shin-gak 山神閣. The feast consisted of a female shaman selecting a large branch from the spring forest. Cutting down the branch was a man's work. The festival was attended by many television crews who almost knocked each other over. The patch of ground behind the san-shin-gak is a place where sacrifices are made to san-shin 山神 and other gods and spirits.

The spring festival may have been part of a larger Gangneung Dano-je [2] held every year on the fifth day of the fifth month of the monthly calendar. Gangneung Dano-je was described by Heo Gyun [1] in 1603. The people of the village believed that disaster was imminent if sacrifices were not made to the mountain gods.

1 ] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heo_Gyun
2] https://www.danojefestival.or.kr/

Sacred mountain Taebeaksan 太白山

Tae Beak San (literally: great white mountain) is one of the twelve most sacred mountains in South Korea. On the mountain top is a Cheonje-dan 천제단; an altar where sacrifices can be made to Heaven. Since the kingdom of Silla (57 BC to 935) sacrifices were made to the sky gods on Teabeaksan. That ancient old tradition still exists. I visited Taebeaksan several times in 2003. Alone, in thick summer fog, but also together with David A. Mason, author of the book Spirit Of The Mountains: Korea's San-shin and Traditions of Mountain-Worship.

Manggyeong-sa
The temple Manggyeong-sa (망경사) is situated just below the peak. According to legend, the temple was founded by Master Jajang-yulsa (590 - 658). He had learned that a stone Munsu-bosal (Manjushri, Bodhisattva of Wisdom)  had appeared just below the royal altar, at the Yong-jeong well. In addition to a hall for the Buddha, Manggyeong-sa also has a Samseonggak (trinity hall) where Sanshin, Chilseong and Dokseong are enshrined. Throughout the area around Teabeaksan are numerous temples dedicated to Sanshin and Yongwang.

The oval Cheonje-dan altar consists of stacked stones and has a circumference of 27.5 meters, is 3 meters high, 7.76 meters wide, and measures 8.26 meters in length.

A few hundred meters from Cheonje-dan is the second peak - Janggun-bong (Guardian General Peak) - where the smaller altar called Janggun-dan can be found.

Manggyeong-sa - which means 'All-encompassing-View Temple' in English - on a stormy and rainy day in August 2003. Manggyeong-sa is together with Myohyang-am (Jiri-san) the highest Buddhist temple in South -Korea (1500 meters).

David A. Mason in 2003. In 2016 is David Assistant Professor of Korean Public Service for Chung-Ang University, Dongjak-gu, Seoul.