# Munmu's underwater tomb (681)

URL: https://allhistories.com/south-korea/timeline/681-munmu-s-underwater-tomb
Location: Gyeongju, Silla
Themes: Politics

King Munmu, the ruler who completed Silla's wars of unification, died in 681. According to Korean tradition he asked to be cremated and his remains laid in the East Sea, so that he could become a dragon and protect the kingdom from Japanese raiders. His son, King Sinmun, honored the wish, and the rocky islet of Daewangam off the coast east of Gyeongju is traditionally identified as his tomb. Sinmun completed the nearby temple of Gameunsa, begun by his father, with a channel said to let the dragon king enter the building. Legends of a magical flute given to Sinmun by the sea dragon became part of Silla royal lore. Sinmun's reign opened with a serious revolt by his father-in-law Kim Heumdol and other nobles, which he crushed with a purge of the aristocracy. The burial captures how Silla fused Buddhist ideas with older beliefs about protective spirits, and it remains one of the best-known sites of Korean royal legend.

## Why it matters
Munmu's sea burial became a lasting symbol of Silla's unification and its protection of the realm.

Ruler at the Time: [Munmu of Silla](https://allhistories.com/south-korea/rulers/munmu-of-silla)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Munmu of Silla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munmu_of_Silla)
- [Wikipedia — Sinmun of Silla](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinmun_of_Silla)
- [Wikipedia — Gyeongju](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyeongju)
- [Wikipedia — Unified Silla and Balhae (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Silla)