Mt. Biseulsan (Purple Eulalia Growth Area)

Mt. Biseulsan stands at the edge of Cheongdo-gun and Dalseong-gun. It is not such a high mountain, but because of its scenic beauty and clean air, it’s an easy place to want to visit again.  
Mt. Biseulsan has long been known as a temple place, and according to the legends it’s to produce a thousand saints from its regions.  Famous monk Il-Yeon (monk scholar of the Goryeo Period) apparently spent his 20s here, training for his career as a monk. At that time Il-Yeon spent his time in the Bodangam Building learning about various faiths and their scriptures, and it became a solid basis from which to write his famous Samgukyusa, a compilation of the  history of the three kingdoms).
The most beautiful aspect of Mt. Biseulsan is the Azaleas that blossom in the spring.  Painted crimson red, the flowers harmonize perfectly with the complementary colors of the surrounding forest.  All through the year, the pine forest fills the mountain, and the broad-leaf trees come alive in the fall in all their brilliant autumn colors in perfect harmony with the fantastic looking rocks of the mountain peaks.  Large areas of the ridge tops become covered with purple eulalias, and it provides a majestic view for the fall mountain climbers.

Donghwasa Temple

Donghwasa Temple is located on the south side of Mt. Palgongsan Mountain, about 22km northeast of Daegu.  It was built by monk Geuk-Dal in the 15th year of the Silla King SoJi’s reign (493). The original name of the temple was Yugasa, but Simjiwongsa rebuilt the temple under King HeungDeok (reign 826~836) and named it Donghwasa.  It means even during the winter season, the paulownia tree still blooms, and the present temple was last rebuilt in 1732.  
When you turn the corner, the first thing that catches your eye is the Seolbeopjeon Building.  To the left of Seolbeopjeon is Daeungjeon, the main temple, and to the right of the building leads to the Geumgang Stairs. If you turn left to the Daeungjeon direction, you see Bongseoru, named so to mean a Bonghwang (phoenix) has its tail down on the ground at this spot.  Past Bongseoru are stairs that are typical of the ones leading into Daeungjeon, called Nugak Stairs.  On either side of the stairs are railings in the shape of a dragon, and in the middle of the stairs, there is a round stone marble that resembles a Yeouiju, a ball often associated with dragons.  Donghwasa’s Daeungjeon is segmented into 3 sections at the front and side, and its natural looking pillars are one of its main attractions.  It carries Seokgamonibul, Amitabul, and Yaksayeoraebul statues inside.  If you come down the stone stairs beside Bongseoru and walk along the cement road for a while, you will come to the huge Seokjoyaksa Yeoraebul.  Created as a prayer for reunification, this large Buddha statue is 17 m high.  The stone tower, stone light, the lion statue, and the lotus flower that decorate the Buddha statue are all very large in size.  Behind the statue are also stones arranged in a circular form like a scroll painting.  These are world-class size stone artifacts. 

Daegu National Museum

Daegu National Museum was built to preserve and exhibit the unique cultural heritage of Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do province.  It is a neat brick building with two basement floors.  There are three exhibit halls, a special exhibit hall, experiment study room, audiovisual studio and library.  At the Archeology Gallery you can see relics ranging from the Neolithic Era to the Three Kingdoms Period chronologically.  At the Art History Gallery you can see and learn about the Buddhist culture of Gyeongsangbuk-do province.  Here you can see Buddhist sculptures, Buddha statues and Buddhist crafts.  The Goryeo celadon and Buncheong ware are also displayed here.  At the Traditional Folk Life Gallery you can learn about the Seonbi culture and the beliefs and rituals of the Yeongnam area, and see traditional Korean houses.  You can also enjoy the Outdoor Gallery where a five-storied stone pagoda stands.  There are other facilities where visitors can participate in museum activities.  You can try traditional dyeing, explore the traditional herbs and learn about agricultural plants.  Do not miss going here because this is where you can learn about traditional herbs used for medicine, plants and grains.  Resting in the natural surroundings at the wildflower and plant walkway or the Ecology Valley can be very relaxing.