Visit to Three Royal Tombs, Paju Samneung

Visit to Three Royal Tombs (Samneung Paju)

As ambassadors of Invest Korea, we visited Three Royal Tombs in Samneung, Paju city. Amid rain and high spirits, we walked through the area which was quite nice in first impression. The place was managed quite well with a nice tour guide. The place consists of three tombs namely Gongneung, Sulleung, and Yeongneung.

Gongneung is the tomb of Queen Jangsun (1445-1461), 1^st consort to King Yejong, the 8^th monarch of Joseon Dynasty. She was third daughter of a politician Han Myeong-hoe. She became crown princess in 1460 and gave birth to Prince Inseong.

Sulleung is the tomb of Queen Gonghye who was 1^st consort to King Seongjong, the 9^th monarch of Joseon Dynasty. She was the younger sister of queen Jangsun. She married to the King Seongjong( who was not a king that time but a prince) in 1467 at the age of 12. She died at the age of 19 without leaving any child behind.

Yeongneung is the tomb of posthumous King Jinjong and Queen Hyosun. Crown prince Hyojang was conferred the posthumous title of King Jinjong. Queen Hyosun(1715-1751) fr from the Jo family was invested as crown princess in 1727. After her husband died, she lived alone until her death at the age of 37. She had no children.

These tombs of Joseon Dynasty are included in the UNESCO world heritage list. The interesting thing of these tombs is their symbolism. Around every tomb, some sculptures have been made standing which symbolizes different things. These also denote the ancestral worship of the Joseon Dynasty. Around tombs, there were a few statues of animals such as tigers and sheep which denoted the safeguard of the tomb. There were also some human statues symbolizing the ministers of the spirits lying in the tomb. Overall tour was very interesting. Although, the rain started heavily during our visit but we enjoyed being there.