Beopgwangsa Temple is located at the foot of Bihaksan Mountain in the city of Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province. It was originally built during the reign of King Jinpyeong (579-631) of the Silla Kingdom by Great Monk Wonhyo upon the order of the king.

The temple used to be large measuring 525 kan (kan is a traditional measurement of distance between two columns, about 1.8 meters), but most of its buildings burned down in a fire in 1863. The current buildings were rebuilt in 1952. The site of the old temple is designated as Historical Site no. 493. Some of the remaining relics are a three-story pagoda, Bulsangyeonhwadaejwa (Buddha on a lotus stand), and a twin Ssanggwibu (turtle-shaped stone base of a monument).