Tapsa (Korean: 탑사) is a small Korean Buddhist Temple complex found in the Maisan (마이산), a mountain in Jeollabuk-do, (전라북도), South Korea. Tapsa literally means ‘Pagoda Temple’ in Korean, which has around 80 stone pagodas.
Maisan is famous for its autumn scenery, while Tapsa is the most popular tourist attraction in Maisan, tourists are everywhere.
All temples are connected by stairs and trails, you can walk around easily.
In 1885, a lone Buddhist hermit layman Yi Gap Yong (1860–1957) came to Maisan to meditate and cultivate himself, then he piled as many as 120 conical natural stone pagodas over the next 30 years, all without mortar.
Yi Gap Yong piled the stones, one by one, without the aid of mechanical devices or assistance. The two tallest pagodas reach as high as 9 meters, still stand firmly nowadays.
All statues inside the temples are not antique, Choumeizai only enjoys the natural spring there, the water is sweet and refreshing.
The east peak is 678 meters high Male Maisan, while the west peak is 685 meters high Female Maisan, which form the two ‘ears’ of Maisan, both 'ears' are made of conglomerate rock, which is rare in Korea.
