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Standing Bodhisattva of Ayangdong
Name: Standing Bodhisattva of Ayangdong
Designation: Folk relic No. 10
Period: Koryo
Location: 364 Ayang-dong
Manager: Mr. O Habong
Material: Granite
Size: 337cm high, 118cm wide between the shoulders
 

This large statue of a bodhisattva, standing beside the Granite Standing Buddha of Ayangdong, has been worshipped as Maitreya by villagers for a long time. It is said to have originally been placed 3 meters ahead of its current location. It was felled by a flood and damaged at the neck during the period of Japanese occupation. It then appeared in villagers' dreams, which compelled them to organize a cooperative group, collect rice and restore it. Legend says that a bachelor offered prayers to the statue and realized his cherished wishes; and that a former farm servant buried the coins earned by trade in front of the stairs and prayed for marriage, which was at last realized. A floral coronet and flower decorations are engraved on the head portion. The whole face gives an impression of feminine tenderness and generosity. The eyes and brows, the ridge of the nose, and the mouth and lips are arranged normally, and the ears are narrow and long. On the reinforced neck are seen the indistinct trace of typical three lines. As for the hand positions, the right hand is raised onto the chest, and the left hand hangs downward. The lower part below the waist is buried in the ground. Bead patterns are found on the chest and flower patterns are seen on the shoulders and arms. Its archaic and unrefined style displays a folk-like tendency. Villagers who claim to have seen the whole statue say that the original height is about 3.8 meters.