Tripitaka Koreana

The Tripitaka Koreana (lit. Goryeo Tripitaka) or Palman Daejanggyeong ("Eighty-Thousand[-Woodblock] Tripitaka") is a Korean collection of the Tripitaka (Buddhist scriptures), carved onto roughly 80,000 wooden printing blocks. The work is stored in Haeinsa, a Buddhist temple in South Gyeongsang province, in South Korea.

The Tripitaka Koreana was first carved in the 13th century. The Korean royal family at the time was under siege, exiled to Ganghwa Island while Mongols took control of the mainland; the act of carving the woodblocks was considered to be a way of bringing about a change in fortune. This was not to be, however, and the Mongols eventually destroyed the woodblocks after the Korean king surrendered to them. A century later, another king had a second set carved, again on Ganghwa Island; these survived, and were eventually moved to Haeinsa. The name "Goryeo Tripitaka" comes from "Goryeo", the name of Korea during the 13th and 14th centuries; the more colloquial name "Eighty-Thousand[-Woodblock] Tripitaka" comes from approximate number of woodblocks that make up the collection.

See also

• List of Korea-related topics