Ssangmireuksa Temple and Giseuli Stone Standing Buddha

Ssangmireuksa Temple is a quiet and modest temple located halfway up Guksabong Mountain in Samjuk-myeon, Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do. Upon entering, two Maitreya Buddhas wearing hats greet visitors at the temple entrance. They stand side by side on a two-story stone wall behind the monks' quarters at the front of the temple entrance, spaced about 10 meters apart. These two Maitreya Buddhas are called the Giseuli Stone Standing Buddhas, and because a 5.4m tall Maitreya, called the male Maitreya Buddha, and a 5m tall Maitreya, called the female Maitreya Buddha, stand together side by side, they are also called the Twin Maitreya Buddhas. The Giseuli Stone Standing Buddhas are two statues carved in the same style on a large stone pillar, placed north and south. They appear very tall, with a height of about 5.7m. Both stone Buddhas have bald heads with a protruding topknot-shaped ushnisha symbolizing wisdom on top, and thin natural stones were rounded and used as hats. They have square, large faces with narrow eyes, short triangular noses, thick lips, and short ears, with clear contours, and the three lines on the neck symbolizing afflictions, karma, and suffering are distinct. The robes cover both shoulders in a style that wraps around the cylindrical body. The hand gestures are in a pose that is said to eliminate all anxieties of sentient beings and grant wishes. These stone standing Buddhas are typical of the local style of the Goryeo period, and many such stone standing Buddhas remain in the Anseong area. Beside the stone standing Buddhas, the Yonghwajeon Hall of Ssangmireuksa Temple sits quietly, and within the temple grounds, there is the Five Hundred Arhats Hall, housing five hundred arhats with different appearances and expressions, and the Sansingak Hall, enshrining a mountain god with a contented expression.