Haeinsa Temple starts Tripitaka re-carving on 29 October
Published on 10/21/2026 at 12:48 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSTripitaka re-carving begins this autumn
- Haeinsa Temple will hold the re-carving ceremony on 29 October 2026 at the Beopgyetap courtyard in Hapcheon.
- The programme includes a 10,000-day prayer and a traditional woodblock-carving demonstration on 29 October 2026.
- UNESCO records that the Tripitaka Koreana was engraved between 1237 and 1248, while the storage buildings date from the fifteenth century.
- Haeinsa Temple stands at 122 Haeinsa-gil in Hapcheon-gun, South Gyeongsang Province.
Haeinsa Temple and its Tripitaka re-carving project will take centre stage in Hapcheon on 29 October 2026, when the temple holds a ceremony marking the start of a new set of woodblocks. The programme links a contemporary craft project with the site’s long record of preserving Buddhist texts.
Haeinsa Temple marks the Tripitaka re-carving start
The ceremony is scheduled for 2pm at the Beopgyetap courtyard. Haeinsa’s dedicated Janggyeongdogam body is overseeing the project, which will involve monks and graduates of the Pangak School. The work is expected to continue for five to ten years, according to the announcement reported by the project announcement.
The event is titled Haeinsa Janggyeongdogam Daejanggyeong Pangak Gobulshik. A 10,000-day prayer is planned for 12.30pm in the courtyard in front of Beopbojeon hall, followed at 3pm by a demonstration of traditional woodblock carving. The ceremony’s stated theme is Re-carving the Tripitaka, Toward Humanity, and the new work is intended to carry forward the spirit associated with the original canon.
The ceremony connects a new project with a fifteenth-century archive
The existing Tripitaka Koreana is kept in the Janggyeong Panjeon buildings, which UNESCO describes as the oldest depository of the Tripitaka. The organisation records that the Buddhist texts were engraved on approximately 80,000 woodblocks between 1237 and 1248, while the four storage buildings were constructed in the fifteenth century.
This relationship gives the 29 October ceremony a precise setting in the temple complex: the new carving begins at the site that safeguards the earlier collection. UNESCO says the buildings use natural ventilation and temperature and humidity control to protect the blocks, while the World Heritage property remains under the ownership of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order. The UNESCO World Heritage record identifies the depositories and their woodblocks as the core of the designated property.
Hapcheon temple preserves an 802 foundation
Haeinsa Temple was founded in 802 during the reign of King Ae-jang, according to Korea’s national tourism organisation. The complex includes the Tripitaka Koreana printing woodblocks and the Janggyeongpanjeon depositories, alongside other national treasures.
The temple’s location also explains why the ceremony is more than a programme item in central Hapcheon. The site lies on Mount Gayasan, within a landscape whose cultural importance is tied to the archive, the storage architecture and the continuing work of the temple. Basic location and foundation details are recorded by VisitKorea’s Haeinsa guide.
Visiting Haeinsa Temple: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Tripitaka re-carving ceremony is scheduled for 29 October 2026 at 2pm at the Beopgyetap courtyard, with a prayer beforehand and a carving demonstration afterwards.
- The announced programme concerns the temple complex itself and includes Beopbojeon hall, the Beopgyetap courtyard and the Pangak School’s traditional craft work.
- The address recorded by VisitKorea is 122 Haeinsa-gil, Hapcheon-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea.
- Haeinsa Temple is in South Korea, where Korean is the official language and the national currency is the South Korean won.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Haeinsa Temple
When does the Tripitaka re-carving take place at Haeinsa Temple?
The opening ceremony is scheduled for 29 October 2026 at 2pm in the Beopgyetap courtyard. The project itself is expected to continue for five to ten years.
What is Haeinsa Temple?
It is a Buddhist temple founded in 802 on Mount Gayasan in Hapcheon. Its Janggyeong Panjeon depositories hold the Tripitaka Koreana woodblocks.
Where is Haeinsa Temple and how do you get there?
The temple is at 122 Haeinsa-gil in Hapcheon-gun, South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. The address is listed by VisitKorea.
