Sun temple Konark Travel History

Some of the best known temples in India are famous for their architecture and their structural elegance. These are the best treasures of Indian culture and the most famous amongst Indian architecture. The Sun temple Konark is also such a tourist attraction in the state of Orissa in India. Housing the famous and the most magnificent temple for the Indian God, Surya, this temple is today a pleasant memory of what the architectural feat of India was in ancient times. Though in a ruined state, this temple reflects the sheer genius of the ancient Indian architects.

When I went for my project assignment to Orissa, I decided I should visit the Sun temple. So I reached this temple which is today one of the major attractions in the State of Orissa. With the best of magnificence and the most of architectural intelligence, the temple exuded a kind of radiance that only is experienced to be believed.

Also called Konaditya, the name Konark comes from the Sanskrit word Kona which means corner and Arka which means Sun. It is located on the northeastern region of Puri. The land of the Sun temple was in earlier days also known as Arkashetra. Constructed in the year 1278 CE, this is a grand example of Indian temple culture. King Narasimha Deva was the ruler who got this temple constructed. Earlier days saw it being mentioned as the Black Pagoda. The temple ruins were excavated sometime in the 19th century. Today the tower on top of the Garbhagriha is not found, but the Jagmohana is intact. It still is splendid in spite of its ruined condition.

I have heard my grandmother telling me the legend behind this temple a hundred times over. It is believed that the king of Krishna and Amravati, Samba, entered the bathing rooms of the ladies. These were Lord Krishna’s wives and they cursed him with leprosy. It was said that he would be relieved of this curse only by worshipping the Sun God, Surya on the coastal zone lying to the north east of the Puri region. So Samba came to the land of Konaditya, the or present day Konark temple zone and found an idol of Surya sitting on a lotus coincidentally. He worshipped the sun god, and the Sun God pleased with him relieved him of the disease.

Very happy with this, the king built this temple. The foundation was a little weak as the dome was very heavy. Also the dome was magnetic and thus was believed to be causing a lot of ship crashes on the shore. So it was eventually removed and also crushed and the Sun God idol was taken to Puri.

Today the Sun temple, Konark is famous for its architectural splendor, and the intricate work. The sculpture here is exquisite and beyond imagination. The whole temple is built in the form of a chariot. There are 24 wheels in the chariot and each wheel is about 10 feet in total diameter. There are carvings even on the wheels. Seven horses are depicted to drag the chariot and there are two lions which are shown to guard the entrance. I went up the flight of steps to the main temple zone. I was quite intrigued to see the lions at the entrance depicted as crushing elephants below them.

Then I saw the Melakkadambur temple with Lord Shiva as the presiding deity. This was the precedent for the Ratha or chariot type temples across India. The Sun temple, Konark is a classic example of exquisitely done architecture. There is a sanctum with a huge tower, a Jagmohana and a hall for dance. There is no roof on the dance hall and the Jagmohana. The sanctum has great images of Lord Surya. There is a nata Mandir with great carvings. The carvings here are of the erotic kind and they were done in good taste. Images of animals, men, foliage, interesting designs and warriors are shown. The images of Sun God are three in number supposed to be positioned to catch the sun rays at three times of the day – sunset, noon and dawn.

The Jagmohana roof depicted the three life stages thus making the Sun temple Konark the most sublime Indian monument. As I walked around the temple, I saw that to the west lay the Mayadevi temple. The remains of this temple belong to one of Lord Surya’s wives. This temple too has a sanctum, and the façade exuded the best kind of sculpture. There was a porch too which is a living example of ancient architecture.

Then there was another temple which faced the south west part of the temple area. This is the latest discovery here with the excavations being done as recent as 1956. This is called the Temple NO.3. It has a deul and also a Jagamohana. The main structure is however missing and does not have any decoration on the exterior. There are images of Trivikrama, Parsvadevatas, and Balarama which have been taken out during excavations.

After seeing all this, I could only marvel at the sheer diligence and hard work of Indian archaeologists due to whose efforts we are getting to see this lovely construction called the Sun temple, Konark.