What is "gounsa"

Gounsa is a head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism. It stands in Danchon-myeon, Uiseong County, in the province of Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. The temple was built in 681 C.E. by Uisang, a leading Buddhist monk of Silla. The name means "lonely cloud"; these characters were chosen after the temple was visited by scholar Choe Chi-won. The temple had previously been known by the same name, but with the meaning of "high cloud."

Gounsa served as a center of uibyeong resistance in the Seven Year War, when it was one of few temples to escape being burned by the Japanese forces. The temple did burn in a catastrophic fire in 1835; thus, all current buildings date from the 19th or 20th century.