The Tomb of King Dongmyeong, also known as the Tomb of King Tongmyŏng, is a mausoleum located in near Ryongsan Village, Ryokpo-guyok, Pyongyang. One of the tombs is the royal tomb of Dongmyeong (58–19 BC), the founder of the ancient Goguryeo Kingdom, northernmost of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. In total, there are 63 individual tombs of the period. The area around Dongmyeong contains at least fifteen known tombs believed to belong to various vassal lords. The tomb has achieved World Heritage status as part of the Complex of Goguryeo Tombs inscribed by UNESCO in 2004 under Criteria (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) covering an area of 233 hectares (580 acres) with a buffer zone of 1,701 hectares (4,200 acres). A unique feature of it and the other extant tombs in the area are the wall paintings depicting blossoming lotuses, indicative of Buddhism practiced and perhaps prevalent in Korea around 277 BC to 668 AD. The sacred site was built when King Jangsu transferred his capital from the Hwando Mountain Fortress to Pyongyang in 427 AD. The Royal Tomb of King Dongmyeong is one of 63 tombs that exist in five zones of North Korea. The construction of all these tombs is dated to the 5th and 6th centuries. In 2002, coins of 10 North Korean won denomination were issued depicting the tomb of the King. The mausoleum is a 11.5 m (38 ft)-high tumulus bordered at the base with stone blocks. Each side of the tumulus is 34 m (112 ft) long. The tomb has a 22 m2 (240 sq ft) pyramidal inner chamber, a front chamber and a gallery made with stones. The chamber faces southwest. The renovated tomb of the king is the most prominent tomb and is one among the 20 tombs in Chinpa Village. The current tomb complex is quite modern. The Royal Tomb of King Dongmyeong and the Three Tombs of Kangso have mural paintings. The Tomb of King Dongmyeong has Goguryeo murals which are known for its rich color and tone. The wall paintings found in the tomb were of Buddhist themes, namely the lotus, and the animal depictions in the ceiling and walls of the tombs. The murals depict, realistically in a three-dimensional form, the daily life scenes of people such as women dancing, warriors getting trained, birds flying in the sky covered with clouds, dragons, fish swimming in rivers, and wild life. The frescoes in the tomb depict lotuses in blossom with other religious ornamentation which bring out the traditional Buddhist ethos only and not the four traditional images of the constellations as in the Chinese tombs. This is inferred to represent the paradise in Buddhist religious parlance. The tomb has an inscription which substantiates the fact that it was a sacred site for festival rites. These consisted of the worship of mother earth and also livestock; the former is a south Asian rite while the latter is a shamanistic form of worship.

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Inserted: 20-12-2022 17:12:18