Abstract
Samguk Yusa is a treasury of historiographical and legendary material. In my paper I worked with Books III, IV and V which contain various narratives, mostly related to Buddhism.
I have tried to show that there are several trends in how the stories depict Korea's position in time and space connecting it with important places in India and China and important periods of Buddhist history and that these strategies are employed in founding Korea as a Buddhist country. Legends in Samguk Yusa created an image of Korea as a civilized country vis--a-vis the other, 'barbaric', nations of the East Asia, depicted Korea as an originally Buddha's Land which is being rediscovered in the legends and define Korea's position in the relation to China and India by using well known topoi from Buddhist cosmology and mythology.The important revelations featuring such statements are often presented in relation to sacred space which is founded through the use of these strategies.
Important temples, pagodas and sacred mountains are connected with Buddhism. Local history of Korea becomes a part of global Buddhist history is given a new meaning.