According to Shinjeung Dongguk Yeoji Seungram, Myeongwol temple was located on Mt Myeongwol. And the history of Myeongwol temple is recorded in detail in the Gimhae Myeongwolsa Achievement Monument, authored by the monk, Jeungwon. Myeongwolsa was burned during the Japanese invasion of Korea but repaired in the 10th year of Gwanghaegun. Afterwards, when it was again restored, a roof tile on which was inscribed Geongang Wonnyeon Gabshin Samwol Namsaekwas discovered under the fallen wall. The Geongang Wonnyeon is the year 103 of king Suro (144) and proves that Seoyeok Buddhism has been imported from early on by Jangyoo Hwasang. When one looks at the achievement monument inscription of Myeongwolsa found on the Heunguk Temple precincts, it is said that king Suro of Garak Kingdom prepared a feast of ten thousand panfried foods for Queen Heoh below the high mountain trail. On the following day when they entered the palace, Queen Heoh is said to have taken off her silk pants and offered it to the mountain deity.

Heungguksa is located at San No. 498 of Jisadong Myeongdong village. This site of Heungguksa is said to be the old ground for Myeongwolsa. The present Heungguksa was repaired in 1956. There is a Garakguk Taejowang Younghoo Old Site Monumenterected on its precincts. It is believed that the entire area surrounding today's Heunguksa was the old site of Myeongwolsa but now, one cannot find any traces of this. However, one surface stone of the stone pagoda of granite material and another stone material sculpture, which were excavated when the Big Dipper shrine of Heungguksa was constructed, are preserved. That surface stone of stone pagoda is known as Sawangseok of Myeongwolsa. One bronze statute of Buddha was excavated here in January of 1983 and is currently preserved at the National Museum of Korea.

On what is considered the old site of Myeongwolsa were excavated one surface stone of the stone pagoda of granite material and another stone material sculpture when the Big Dipper shrine of Heungguksa was constructed. One snake is engraved in relief on each side of the statute of a seated Buddha at the center of this surface stone of stone pagoda. Though there is a lot of wear and tear, the sculpting technique is quite outstanding. The size of the surface stone is 74cm in width, 52cm in height, and 15cm in thickness. The fact that a Buddha's statute is sculpted with a snake is a distinctive image. Some think that this sculpture is like the snake king called Muchillydia, which can be seen in India's Ayodhya, constructed from the image of one snake on each side surrounding the Buddha who is in a state of absorption. They interpret this as the snake king protecting the Buddha who is in nirvana. Also, they consider this as an object that proves that there was cultural exchange between India's Ayodhya and Garak kingdom and as a basis of the import of southern Buddhism into our country. This Sawangseok of Myeongwolsa is now preserved at Heungguksa.

King Suro of Garak Kingdom met Queen Heoh at the Spousal House (Woongdongmyeon, Yongwonri), came to this place together, sent away many servants, went up to the mountain by themselves, and spent the night in the mountain valley. Later, the king named this mountain, Myeongwol on which the moon shined brightly, and gave the name Myeongwolsa as he thought about the things that happened on that night when the moonlight shined on the monk's cell. Also, the king significantly enlarged Myeongwolsa and granted a lot of the land of the field in front of it. Because of this, the temple thrived greatly, and there were at times as many as three hundred monks. Also, there were many monk's cells belonging to that temple. However, since the road that led to the capital city was paved in front of that temple at the time, several hundreds of guests visited that temple every day. Later on, people at the temple became tired of the guests and whenever the monks saw peddlers and strange looking people, they gave them good hospitality and asked them, "What can we do so that no more visitors will come to this temple? Please tell us." One day, when a conspicuous looking young passerby came to the temple, the monks came to him and again asked what could be done to prevent more visitors coming to the temple. The young passerby cast an eye over the monk from top to bottom and told him, "If you are bothered so much about the visitors, cut off the mountain peak that protrudes toward this temple, then no visitors will come to this temple anymore." Then he suddenly disappeared. On the next day, the monks had the workers cut off the mountain peak. When they did so, visitors indeed stopped coming and each day, several monks began to die. So, the monks who died in the upper temple were cremated nearby the upper temple, and the monks who died in the lower temple were cremated at the lower temple. Thus, even to this day, the cremation sites are referred to as the upper burial gully and the lower burial gully, respectively. And it is said that there are stones that have been singed by fire which remain to this day. Myeongwolsa of Mt. Myeongwol which had a respectable history was destroyed in this way, and at present, only an empty site remains there and the bamboo forest has grown thick.