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Konark Temple
The temple city of Konark is situated in the eastern state of Orissa at a distance of around 65 km from Bhubaneswar and 35 km from Puri. The city extends between longitude 86.08°E and latitude 19.53°N. The temple was built by Raja Narasimhadeva to mark a military victory. Since the rulers used to worship the Sun, the temple was conceived as a chariot for Surya, the Sun God. The whole structure is in the form of a giant horse drawn chariot of the Sun. Together, the 24 wheels of the Chariot and the 7 horses drawing it symbolize the passage of time. The front of the main entrance has two giant stone lions crushing elephants. As you climb up the stairs, you'll see statues of horses on both side. All over the walls of this huge temple are beautiful carvings, sculptures and bas-reliefs (figures projecting from a plain background). Among them are thousands of images of gods, goddesses, men and women and scenes from life in the 13th century.
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| The Sun Temple of Konark marks the highest point of achievement of Kalinga architecture depicting the grace , the joy and the rhythm of life all it's wondrous variety. There is an endless wealth of decoration from minute pattterns in bas-relief done with a jeweller's precision to boldly modelled free standing sculptures of exceptionally large size. Under the crackling wheels of past events , the Sun Temple has lost its main sanctuary but the remaining structure and the ruins arouns testify till today the boundless creative energy of Orissan artistes and their impresive contribution to the treasury of Indian Art and building technique. Standing majestically on the sandy coast of the Bay of Bengal, the porch, in its solitary grandeur is an eloquent testimony of a gracious and mysterious past. Dedicated to Sun God, this temple was constructed by Raja Narasinghs Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty was dazzling supreme in the political firmament of India |
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| Konark Temple |
Konark Temple Architecture |
The Konark temple is widely known not only for its architectural grandeur but also for the intricacy and profusion of sculptural work. The entire temple has been conceived as a chariot of the sun god with 24 wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate carvings. Seven horses drag the temple. Two lions guard the entrance, crushing elephants. A flight of steps lead to the main entrance.
The nata mandir in front of the Jagamohana is also intricately carved. Around the base of the temple, and up the walls and roof, are carvings in the erotic style. There are images of animals, foliage, men, warriors on horses and other interesting patterns. There are three images of the Sun God, positioned to catch the rays of the sun at dawn, noon and sunset.
The Melakkadambur Shiva temple, built in the form of a chariot during the age of Kulottunga Chola I (1075-1120), is the earliest of this kind, and is still in a well preserved state. It is believed that this temple set the pace for the ratha (chariot) vimana temples in India, as a distant descendant of Kulottunga I on the female line, and thefamous Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha Deva, built the Sun Temple at Konark in the form of a chariot in the 13th century. Kulottunga Chola is also credited with having built the Suryanaar temple near Kumbhakonam. Temples dedicated to the Sun are not a common feature in the Tamil speaking region of the Indian subcontinent. |
 The Sun Templ built in the thirteenth century was conveived as a gigantic chariot of Sun God, with twelve pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven pairs of horses. Majestic in conception, this Temple is indeed one of the most sublime monuments of India, famous as much for its imposing dimensions and faultless proportions as for the harmonious integration of of architectural grandeur with plastic allegiance. It is admittedly the best in Orissa. Its fine traceries and scroll work , the beautiful and natural cut of animal and human figures, all give it a superiority over other temples. The chief quality is its design and architectural details. The Sun temple belongs to the Kalinga School of Indian Temples with characteristic curvilinear towers mounted by Cupolas. In shape, the Temple did not make any major departure from other sikhara temples of Orissa. The main sanctum which (229 ft. high) was constructed alongwith the audience hall (128 ft. high) having elaborate external projections. The main sanctum which enshrined the presiding deity has fallen off. The Audience Hall survives in its entirely but of the other two viz the Dancing Hall(nata Mandir) and the Dining Hall (Bhoga-Mandap), only small portions have survived the vagaries of time. The Temple compound measures 857 ft. by 540 ft.
The alignment of the Sun Temple is on the east-west direction. The Temple is located in natural surroundings, abounding with casuarina plantations and other types of trees, wchich grow on sandy soil. The environment is by and large unspoiled. Gentle undulating topography around the Sun Temple lends some variation to the landscape
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THE LEGENDS
No one really knows why a temple was erected here, but there are many legends to account for its appearance. The most popular concerns 'Samba', the son of Lord Krishna. Samba was inordinately proud of his beauty. So proud that he once made the mistake of ridiculing a celebrated sage, 'Narada', who was not renowned for his looks. Narada was not amused. Always mischievous, he decided to have his revenge on the arrogant boy. He managed to lure the unsuspecting Samba to the pool where his stepmothers, the luscious consorts of Krishna, were bathing in joyful abandon. When Krishna heard that his son had become a peeping tom, he was furious and cursed him with leprosy. Realizing later that the innocent boy had been tricked by Narada's cunning, Krishna was mortified. But he could not revoke his course; all he could do was advise his son to worship the sun god 'Surya', healer of all diseases, and hope for a cure. After twelve years of penance and worship, Samba was at last instructed by Surya to go and bathe in the sea at Konark. He did so and was cured of his awful affliction. Samba was so delighted that he decided there and then to erect a Surya temple on these spot. It was called "Konark", "Place of the Sun," from which the modern name comes. |
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| Getting There
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By air: Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport and is 64 kilometers far away from Konark. Indian Airlines has flights from Delhi, Calcutta, Visakhapatanam, Nagpur, Hyderbad, Chennai and Mumbai..
By rail: Nearest Railhead is at Bhubaneswar on East Coast Railways, 65 KM and Puri is 35KM in marine drive.
By road: Konark is 85 kilometers from Puri via Pipli, 35 kilometers on the Marine drive and 65 kilometers from Bhubaneswar. It is connected by all-weather excellent motorable roads.
Besides regular Bus services operating from Cuttack,Puri and Bhubaneswar; special tourist busses from Puri and Bhubaneswar touch Konarka enroute their visit to the places of interest.
City Transport:Auto rickshaws and Cycle rickshaws are available for internal transport.. |
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