According to engravings preserved on extant artifacts excavated from the temple site as well as the 13th century Korean work Samguk Yusa, Gamsan (‘sweet mountain’) Temple was established in 719 by the Silla aristocrat Kim Jiseong 金志誠 (652–?) on the site of his own estate, apparently to pray for the souls of his deceased parents and siblings as well as the future prosperity of the Silla kingdom.