The Great Bell in Gyengju city of Korea, The Bell of King Seongdeok the Great

in travel •  7 years ago 

The Bell has had very important meaning in Buddhism. They has stoke the bell in Buddhist temple to awake everything from the darkness and to give a peace and a rest for everything.

The Bell was as same as the words of Buddha to everything existed in the world.
In this point, the bell between Christianity and Buddhism is quite different.

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The most important relic on the ground of Nation Museum in Gyeong Ju was a Seongdeokdaewang singing which could be translated in ‘the Bell of King Seongdeok the great.
I could see the Bell in the corner of the ground. I couldn't understand why they displayed the Bell in the corner of the Museum.
In my opinion, the Bell is the core of Shilla dynasty relics.

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This bell was made in 771 AD in memory of King Seongdeok in Shilla dynasty after the unification of Korean peninsular.

This bell is the biggest and the heaviest in Korea.
(The height of 3.75 m, the width of the mouth of 2.27m, the thickness of 11-25 cm and the weight of 18.9 ton)

It was amazing this size of bronze bell could have lasted for more than 13 centuries.
The more amazing thing is the bell is still working normally in these days.

The really awesome thing is the sound of this bell is unbelievably beautiful. It has the longest sound pulse among the Bells in the world. If you strike once this bell, the sound can continue for several minutes due to the resonance of the bell.

Bell Sound

The sound spreads like a thick fog into our chest and mind when you hear this sound.

When I was an elementary school pupil, I could hear the sound of striking this bell. Many scientists had studied the phenomenon of the mysterious sound, but they failed to find out the mysterious sound.

Now we could not strike the bell anymore to preserve the bell longer.

Besides the mysterious sound, the structure and the patterns were unique and famous for it’s beauty.

There is a pipe of the sound on the head of the bell. This sound pipe is unique structure in Korean bell. The mysterious resonance was believed to be made by the sound pipe.

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There are lots of small round projecting parts which are called as nipple of the bell in four directions.
I don’t know the reason why they named those structure the nipples.
But in my guess, the nipples of bell is a metaphorical expression of that the sound of the bell is the milk of life.

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The one of the impressive design is an angel pattern on the Bell.
The name of the pattern is ‘Bi Cheon Sang’ which means ‘flying angel statue’

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The lower part was decorated with various patterns.

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The technic of carving this delicate pattern on the surface of the bell would be not easy in these days. But they made this delicate pattern1300 years ago.

I heard It is not easy to reproduce the bell even today.
Technic seemed to be not always progressive.

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the bell is so huge...

This antique of a treasure from the Shilla dynasty is really amazing piece of mastery by the people who made it about more than 1300 years ago. Koreans really are unique people in terms of industry leaders too

hahaha
Thank you for your compliment behalf of our ancestors

This is interesting,a wonderful picture to behold

  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment

Yes, I heard It is not easy to reproduce the bell even today.
Technic seemed to be not always progressive

Great photo!

Great pictures. Thanks for travelling on our behalf...am glad being exposed to these...

amazing history post thank for shearing

amazing photography.

@slowwalker, this is so refreshing, i once said when the culture of a people is lost, their value is gone.

The culture of the Korean has been upheld for many centuries though i never knew that the bell between Christianity and Buddhism is quite different. Thanks for bringing this to my awareness

Thank you for reading

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

I have never ever saw such a large bell. During travel in Korea you take a awesome pictures. A historical bell which is related to King seongdeok. Thanks @slowwalker for sharing important Infos. My UPVOTE for you as a Support.

Thank you for reading

Enterate de lo ultimo en criptomoneda Dale Click Aqi!

I must say this bell looks really huge its beauty is incredible.....loved the designs into it...thanks for sharing about it....its worth reading.

Such landmarks and these symbols reflect the same history as the civilization that is built for any country and a place among the world has done good friend

Woah, that bell is really big. I wonder how it would sounds

loved your post, thanks so much for all the hard work ^^

Thank you for your reading

bell is very important, and usually its a bell on a place where it is a frequent place to visit people to worship in korea, success for you @slowwalker and his story is very interesting, and I really like to read your post, and I always get experience from your post about korean history,

lol
thank you as always

Lol,,,, you are welcome my friend... 😀😀😀

It has the longest sound pulse among the Bells in the world. If you strike once this bell, the sound can continue for several minutes due to the resonance of the bell.

that is pure physics

It's a really great bell, it's a historic bell.
when I was in elementary school, this bell was also used as a bell sign in and out of class.
this is a good story @slowwalker.

lol
I miss the bell sound in elementary school

I've been very missed with the sound of this bell.

Wow it looks like a nice place to trip.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

1st time i saw your post & im really fond of your post..

such an amazing snaps!!
Great post.. thanks for share it..

resteem this post ☺

Ithink this is uniqueness and various interesting things that always presented in your post brother @slowalker
travel with a very interesting story to read, good job brother !!!

Regard from me in Indonesia

Thank you for reading

you're wellcome brother

but i like writing of motivation in my blog

if you have time let's visit mg blog @bangmimi

nice photography

I love to know about historical places. Thanks for this amazing post. I am feeling jealous to visit Korea.

thanks for helpful sharing

Good photography

a nice post.I really like to see it move on a very useful post

bells always exist in the house of worship of buddha @ slow walker I am very interesting to read and see your post, success for you friend.

Amazing photography . good information shearing with us .thank you

wow nice

This post is very educating.. I never knew such a place exist.. I hope to explore a lot in this life

Thank you for the post , very good

Qué impresionantes fotografías

Fascinating. There is definitely some magic in bells. If you ever have a chance go and take a look at Mingun bell on the outskirts of Mandalay in Myanmar (Burma).

At 90 tons, the Mingun Bell reigned as the largest ringing bell in the world until 2000. Now it's probably the second largest after the 116-ton Bell of Good Luck at the Foquan Temple, Pingdingshan, Henan, China.

Oh!. Very beautiful photography I' fall in love with these Image.I can't describe beauty by words because it's one type of feeling which every single people have. This picture is better than better

Thank you for your compliment

The bells have symbolic meanings in religion. I did some research and here I'm sharing with you a list of three religions with the symbolic meanings accordingly:

Christianity:

In Christianity, the bell is said to represent the ‘voice of God.’

Hinduism:

The Hindu Goddess, Saraswati, the bringer of knowledge and wisdom, is associated with the bell. The reverberation of the bell is used to help worshippers disengage the mind so that it becomes receptive.

Bhuddaism:

The resonance of a bell signifies ‘pure wisdom’ because the sound is one of perfect harmony and clarity.

Thank you for your explanation
Your explanation is so helpful for me to understand more on the sound of Bell

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

What beautiful patterns! Filigree.
Thank you for sharing.

I saw him and only heard him here, but I couldn't see him around . And on your photo it is visible much better.

and here you can see how the monks beat the bell

wow it look so beautiful..i really like to hear the sound of the bell..it has a very unique sound :)

This is very special artistic work. Great post @slowwalker.

seen many meanings and lessons in each engraving

Big bell. So nice

Great pics as usual!!!

Love it. Thanks for sharing.

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

good snaps ...its nice evry now and then to know about the history and different cultures and communities around the world ...appreciate such content

Amazing information @slowwalker. Glad to know about traditions and cultures from the other religion. And this informations add to our knowledge sir.

Thank you for reading

my pleasure is mine sir @slowwalker. more powers to you and to the whole family.

Nice post +1

Buddhism is a very interesting religion. Perhaps one of the most soulful and linking man with nature. I am very interested in this topic. Although I belong to the Christian faith. Yet many of the teachings of Buddhism are close to me. Recently I have been actively studying yoga practices and it is very closely intertwined with Buddhism.
Thank you for your wonderful article.

Thank you for comment.
Yoga is very close to Hinduism as Buddhism in my guess

Bells in Nigeria are only really useful in some churches and in schools to mark the beginning and the end of lectures and classes. Wow. This bells are really big. Thanks for adding to my knowledge.

Thank you for reading

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Great history there my brother @slowwalker

Great pics and stories behind them, my good friend lives in Seoul, planning a trip there someday.

Good

Hi, my idol, I admire you a lot because of your knowleage and deep emotion. I have followed you long time ago. Now I decide to be a Steemitian to comment some my opinion about you. Good luck to you

  ·  7 years ago (edited)

wauhhh....this bell has really a great history background. The thing that amazes me is that old items do not get old actually. I mean its value and the creativity could always be done by the people who found its potential and i believe this can be the reason of why its still hard to make such similar bell.

The bell had a deep meaning in the buddhist community and would be a sound with a great meaning to convey. It attracted people's attention and was a calling to the community, either through cults or faith instructions.
Part of the youth has lost the old bell awaken system and decided to live in a post modernising era. BY post-modernism era, i mean there is no longer a universal truth and everyone is free to do his own will in the name of ''freedom''

We no longer have that calling, i mean the old bell that could shaken our spirit and take us on the right truck. We are the lost coins, shining in the desert but covered with the sand.

Tell me the right guy and i will ask you to find his bell.

@jona12

Thank you for comment
Yes, whenever hear a Buddhist Bell sound, I feel the tranquility and the peace in my mind,

You are welcome Sir @slowwalker.
Glad that you read my long comment.

Feel free to know more about me if you don't mind🏃🏃🏃

In our country we have small bells.They are not this much large and they re made out of metal.At times there are bells made out of wood!!! And most of them are hanged on a pillar or tower.It is great to see the differences in these religious places depending on the country
-cheers-
-cheers-

Your explanation made me imagine peaceful scene

Waaoo this bell got a very unique history of it's own and i really like these old mysterious stuffs 😇

The sound should be very loud and iam shocked that it's still working like normally.🤔🤔

Thanks for sharing a wonderful peace of history with us dear @slowwalker

That is one massive bell right there. I wrote a post the other day about Chenrezig, also included some custom art. You may be interested, not sure if you are buddhist or if you just enjoy the style and teachings to a certain extent like myself.

chenrezig-thumbnail.PNG

They dont make things the way they used to thats for sure.
You just dont get quality anymore.. thanks for sharing this piece of history with us.

I have actually been here before, i don't remember it being a glass wall there though

In India, the Ellora Buddhist cave systems have some ingenious ancient acoustics that are modeled as reverberation chambers. Monks would chant and the voice would echo throughout! Here's our film on the caves:

Buen post! Gracias por compartir tu viaje y las fotos son muy bonitas.

bell is great @slowwalker, good luck always make @slowwalker

Very detailed history there. Thanks for sharing. At least as a Filipino, I get to know a bit of Korea's culture and history. Hope to visit other countries soon like Korea. Thanks for sharing! :-)

The milk of life comes from the nipples of the bell! I kind of like that! lol

Yesterday I watched a great travel show episode all about Korea. Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown. Have you heard of this show? It's quite famous in the US.

It was like 45 minute flashback of my Korean teaching days. Drinking soju with Business men to eating strange seafood in Garek Market! Ohh.....Koera, how I miss theee! Great post as usual my friend!

I didn't hear of him. I need to look at Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown

Great photography.
Since this bell got nipples, it must surely give life.

lol

Thank you for sharing... Such a wonder. Namaste.

This is really a tourist attraction and thanks for sharing this with us

Thnks for Photo and Story about The Great Bell in Gyengju city of Korea.

I wish to visit it in Korea.

Greetings from Berlin

Yes friend. Not yet very useful for us because without the bell we know when entering school is up to a friend .. thanks for sharing her friend info @slowwalker

Such a good read! Very interesting bell.

i really love this

Great beautiful post

in aceh there is also, its name is cakra donya. gift from china ship by admiral cheng ho, 1414 M.
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Very large bell, so curious with the sound of bell it.

Great! Really magnificient with superb design.

That's awesome, the nipples of bell is a metaphorical expression of that the sound of the bell is the milk of life.

Nice one sir.

Wahhh
It's a bell that is still manual but very much meaning even though it's still traditional,
In Aceh there is also a traditional tool like that precisely in mesium house aceh age is also very old!

very good photos full of historical value

Beautifull classic picture

Nice Post!

I have never at any point saw such a vast ringer. Amid movement in Korea you take a magnificent pictures. A chronicled chime which is identified with King seongdeok. Much obliged @slowwalker

it's very nice.i just like the decoration and patterns.Thank you for shearing

  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment

I admire your ability to constantly produce quality content. Interesting and well written article! 👍

i still cant believe it, south korea still has the existence of buddhism, all i have heard was that south korea majority of the religion is christianity.

very nice pics thanks for your post dear friend

I'v been there.
Thanks for reflection.

Detailed explanation is great.

"life is all about exposure ..... Culture as well is an exposure to life". Nice post from you really informative.

  ·  7 years ago Reveal Comment

Beauty

Woaa. Amazing 😍😍

It is really great, that the bell has existed for so long and is now functioning. It would be interesting to hear his ringing, I think it's amazing )

Beautiful

it's most unique history lesson.
My first name Kim came from Shilla Dynasty.
Love Kyung Ju so much.

I think they express their spiritual world.
I feel it was the time when there was seriousness giving meaning to anything.
Thank you^^

this is a grate one.

images (11).jpeg

Interesting post @ slowwalker, indeed I see in those bell films very useful for them ..
Thank you for sharing his information

I am so sorry for my small upvotes as I did not have steem power as in past..
Thanks for support..
Wish you a great day..

Great pictures, and the history of the bell, I like that you have photographed by the bell to detail the symbols that you have, and enjoy the history that complements and translates that era. I follow you

wow,amazing,intresting,educating post,that bell is really too big.i like and upvote your post.i love your post.you are a too much hark worker.
it,s a historical bell.thanx for amazing post.
keep it up.

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This is history indeed.
Thanks for sharing

Is it still in use?

Congratulations @slowwalker!
Your post was mentioned in the Steemit Hit Parade in the following category:

  • Pending payout - Ranked 5 with $ 498,72

The diversity in each culture is what makes travel an unforgettable experience, whatever the place you visit for the first or several times, every day you learn something new from the places. It is evident the difference that the bell has between Buddhism and Christianity but they share something in common, they are indispensable for the development of the ceremonies. Excellent post it is always nice to read informative post, greetings from Venezuela.