Seolleung and Jeongneung

Another thing this Facebook hiatus has allowed me to do is get out and get some fresh air—and see more of Seoul. Here are some pictures I took of some tombs and tumuli (burial mounds) in Gangnam. These are just three of the many Joseon-era monarchs scattered around Gyeonggi Province, but they're some of the most scenic...and they're right in the middle of the city. Convenient. Seolleung is comprised of two tombs, that of the ninth Joseon king, Seongjong, and that of his concubine-turned-queen, Jeonghyeon. Jeongneung is the tomb of King Jungjong, Seongjong's eventual successor. (Seongjong's in Seolleung and Jungjong's in Jeongneung. Geddit? Good.)

That lower part on the left is the "king's walkway," where the priests and whatnot may tread. The one on the right is the "spirit walkway." Ain't nobody living can set foot on that. I guess it's a sort of runway for the king's ghost when he comes and goes.

A list of all the offerings left at the king's temple. Erm, maybe temple isn't the right word. There's a three-part process. See, the Koreans believe that these tombs are quite literally the boundaries between the spirit world and the real one. So there's the place of purification, where they prepare themselves for the ceremonial rites; these temple thingies (two pictures above), where tributes are laid; and the actual tomb itself, which is the mound below. Three steps to Heaven.

The view from the (burial) mound, or tumulus.

The queen's mound. (No dirty jokes, please.)

I'm not sure whether Seongjong's or Jeonghyeon's view is better.

I really can't think of a prettier place to be planted...

The offering-house and tumuli of King Jungjong (deposed not long after his ascension).

An engaged (recently married?) Korean couple were taking engagement (marriage?) photos under a lovely tree with auburn leaves. Power to 'em. I even got the dorky tourist taking pictures of them.

Inside the house of the tomb-keeper. It's labeled such on the map, but the placard outside said that it was the "ritual house" where purification rites were conducted prior to memorial ceremonies.

And for your viewing pleasure: a 500-year-old gingko tree. You're welcome.