The founding legend of Hyangiram traces back to 644 CE, the 13th year of the reign of Queen Seondeok of Silla. Wonhyo, who would go on to become one of the most important monks in Korean Buddhist history, is said to have encountered the Bodhisattva of Mercy (Avalokiteshvara) at this site and founded a hermitage there called Wontongam. The Bodhisattva of Mercy is a figure associated with compassion, and in Korean Buddhism, prayer sites dedicated to this bodhisattva are often located on cliffs or islands facing the sea — Hyangiram stands in that same tradition.
The hermitage's peaceful history was upended during the Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598). Monk-soldiers used the site as a base, turning it into a battleground, and in the process it burned down. It wasn't rebuilt until more than a century later, in 1715, by the monk Inmuk. At that point the temple's name was also changed to Hyangiram — "the hermitage facing the sun" — a name said to carry the meaning of taking refuge in Vairocana Buddha, who is associated with the great sun. Today, Hyangiram sits atop the dramatic cliffs of Mt. Geumosan and is known as one of the finest sunrise-viewing spots on Korea's southern coast. Every New Year's Day, crowds pack the narrow mountain path to watch the year's first sunrise — a prayer site that once burned in war has become the place where people gather to greet the very first sunlight of the year.