Overview
Okcheon refers to a very clear spring. Records show that the spring water from this pool had medicinal properties, attracting patients. Additionally, the sidewalk pavilion of Okcheonam houses a seated Buddha statue carved in rock-carved form. This is also called the Seawater Gwaneum statue or the White Buddha of the Sidewalk Pavilion. Here, the word 'Bodhisattva' means 'to save all sentient beings,' referring to the origin of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. Therefore, 'Haesui Kannonsang' is the most accurate name, and actual records are also preserved. The name 'White Buddha' seems to have originated from records made by foreigners. The rock-carved seated Bodhisattva follows the style of Goryeo dynasty rock-carved Buddhist statues, and the oldest record is that the statue was recorded as a Buddhist rock in Yongjae Chonghwa (慵齋叢話). Since the Silla period, prominent temples such as Morgagi, Seunggasa, and Sahyeonsa were located in this area, so it is believed that Bodogak and Okcheonam were founded under their influence. There is a legend that King Taejo of Joseon Yi Seong-gye set his capital in Hanyang and prayed here; there are legends that General Kwon Yul fought here during the Imjin War, and that Heungseon Daewongun's wife prayed for her son, King Gojong.