Gaya Kingdom
Gaya Kingdom
According to the Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms (Samguk Yusa) and the National Chronicle of the Gaya Kingdom (Garak Gukgi), the Queen-to-be Heo Hwang Ok of Ayodhi landed on the shore of Gaya in AD 48 for her marriage to the founding king of the Gaya Kingdom, King Kim Suro. Among many treasures the Queen-to-be was believed to be have brought seeds of tea plants and people planted the seeds in the hills of the mountain Pakwul in Gimhae. Even today one can easily find villages and mountain valleys named after ‘Tea’ in Gimhae. There are vast tea trees in the mountain valley, Kum Kangji, known in the early days as Da Jeonli (Tea fields) in east of Gimhae.
The people of Gaya paid tributes to the King with offerings of tea, rice wine, and fruit. This ceremony was called ‘Tea Ceremony’, Cha Rye (茶禮). The practice of Cha Rye continues today, where family members gather together to pay tributes to the ancestors.
The Gaya Kingdom is known for many artifacts demonstrating advanced economic and cultural development. These advancements appear to demonstrate well developed tea culture in that region.
