Most Korean Buddhist temples have a statue of the Buddha in their main hall. Tongdosa does not. Instead, a window behind the altar looks out onto a stone stupa that is said to contain relics of the historical Buddha, brought back from China by the monk Jajang, who founded the temple in 646. That makes Tongdosa one of the Three Jewel Temples of Korea, representing the Buddha himself, alongside Haeinsa, representing the teaching, and Songgwangsa, the community of monks. It is part of the UNESCO-listed Sansa, Buddhist Mountain Monasteries in Korea, inscribed in 2018.
The temple lies at the foot of Yeongchuksan, a mountain north of Busan, and the approach is a long walk along a stream through pine forest, past stone inscriptions and small bridges. The temple complex is large, with dozens of halls, pavilions and hermitages, colourfully painted in the dancheong style, and a museum with Buddhist art. In spring, the plum blossoms in the courtyard are famous, and in autumn, the maples on the mountain turn red.
The area around is a mix of urban sprawl and mountains. Yangsan and Ulsan are industrial cities, while the Yeongnam Alps, a group of peaks over a thousand metres high, rise to the north-west, with winding roads, hiking trails and high grasslands that turn silver with silver grass in autumn. Riders should know that motorcycles are banned from Korean expressways, so you will use national roads, which are generally good but busy around the cities.
Fuel and food are easy to find in the towns. Temple food, vegetarian and simple, is offered at some temples, and Templestay programmes allow visitors to spend a night and join the monks' routine. Try bibimbap, Korean barbecue, and the seafood of Busan and Ulsan. Spring and autumn are the best times to visit, when the weather is mild and the colours spectacular.