Hyangiram Temple is a place with beautiful sunrise, with the sun rising from the seas.

At the beginning of the year, people go to the Hyangiram Temple to see the first sunrise. What wish do they have watching the bright red sunrise? Not only Yeosu citizens but people from all over the country come and visit Hyangiram Temple sincerely hoping for something.
The wishes might be simple things such as health of their family, everlasting love of couples, or the bright future of their offsprings, but although their wishes may not be great but rather petty, they are most desperate for their wishes. The road to the Hyangiram is beautiful. There is also the Dolsandaegyo Bridge with its nice night view. Alongside the wavy road, the boat on the sea looks like a masterpiece.

Hyangiram Temple, one of the four major Gwaneum temples, is at the end of the Dolsando Island. The Saint Wonhyo first built it and named it Wontongam Temple during the regime of the Queen Sundeok of Silla Dynasty. The Monk Yunpil changed its name to Geumoam Temple, and finally the Monk Inmuk was touched by the beautiful sunrise and renamed it as Hyangiram Temple in 1715 which was 41th year of King Sukjong regime.

Next to the parking lot, after you go up the steep stairs again and again, green leaves cover the sky. Shattered lights from the sky make the atmosphere even more mysterious. When your legs start to grow weary, a stone gate appears. It's so small that everyone has to bend forward to go through. The gate implies it's the road to the Buddha.
It means people going to the temple for the first sunrise of the year must learn humility. After the first gate of the temple with only a handful of sunlight, you can see the Geumosan Mountain in the back, and blue sea and sky in your front.

There are not many places like Hyangiram for the sunrise. You can see not only the sunrise but also sunset from this place. If you stay on the rocky cost of the temple, you can see the sun setting beyond the horizon. And the sun comes back again in the next morning.

The path to the main temple after passing through the nirvana door made with a small rock crack...

Hyangiram Temple is on the rocky cliff of Geumosan Mountain. The mountain looks like a big sea turtle with a sacred book going into the underwater palace. That's how the mountain got its name of Geum(iron)O(a big sea turtle)san(mountain). Hyangiram is also called Geumoam for the rocks which look like turtles, or Yeongguam which means the temple has the spirit of the turtle. The turtle might swim away on a stormy day. The small nirvana gate between rocks ushers you to the main building of the temple.

The agony of life doesn't seem to be a problem anymore. The breathless stairs of Hyangiram Temple may rid any burdens. The Gwaneumjeon building has a great view of sparkling blue sea and a bright sunrise.

The temple was also a base for monks who fought against Japanese forces with Admiral Yi Sun-shin during the Imjin war. It's on the high cliff in the beautiful harmony with other subtropical plants such as camellia trees. Hyangiram caught on fire last December 2009, which burnt down all the buildings except the main building, but now they are all reconstructed.