Many of the visitors are what might be called revolving-door Buddhists, that is, people who say they're Buddhists but who come to a temple only this once each year, in and out in about twenty minutes. Others are non-Buddhists who make the temple tour just to take in the magical atmosphere and to get a feeling for this very important part of Korean culture. The temple gates generally provide the very first impression one gets of a temple, and as you step through them one by one, you get the feeling you're progressing deeper and deeper into a whole different world. As you might guess, each gate has a name and a special role and symbolic meaning. However, only the biggest, older temples have all four of the gates described below.
Many temples omit the second one, and some have only the first and last.
This doesn't mean that it is held up by only one column, but that there is only a single row of columns rather than pairs of columns, front and back, as in the other gates. This gate marks the boundary to the temple grounds. You may recognize this from the Korean name for the Diamond Mountains, Kumgangsan. They are bodyguards, if you will, who protect the temple and the Dharma, or Buddhist doctrine. He plays offense, attacking any evil forces that may attempt to enter.