A small temple was reportedly built here in 528 under King Beopheung of Silla. The Samguk Yusa says the current temple was begun in 751 under King Gyeongdeok by the chief minister Kim Daeseong. The Silla royal court completed it in 774, after Kim's death, and gave it the name Bulguksa.
Two stone pagodas date from the Silla period. Seokgatap is 27 feet (8.2 m) tall with three stories in a simple style, and Dabotap is 34 feet (10.4 m) tall and highly ornate. The Cheongungyo, or Blue Cloud Bridge, is 21 feet (6.3 m) long with 16 steps, and the lower Baegungyo is 18 feet (5.4 m) long with 18 steps.
The wooden buildings burned in the Imjin wars of 1592 to 1598. Reconstruction began after 1604, and a major restoration ran from 1969 to 1973. UNESCO inscribed the temple in 1995 with Seokguram Grotto.
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