The massive, yet minutely chiseled Sun Temple at Konark – Indian Tourism
The Sun Temple at Konark, in Orissa, India, was designed as an aesthetic chariot of the Sun God. The temple was so close to the shore that it was a navigational point referred to as the “Black Pagoda”.
Art historian Percy Brown (1872 – 1955) opined “had the early European visitors reached Konarka just about the time they saw the Taj Mahal, they would have listed Konarka and not the Taj Mahal as one of the Seven Wonders of the World”. Is the Sun Temple at Konark that much beautiful? Yes it is!! And those who have seen both (the temple and the Taj Mahal) would agree to Percy Brown’s opinion.
This minutely chiseled temple was designed as an enormous but aesthetic chariot of Lord Surya - the Sun God. The celestial chariot has 24 massive wheels and is drawn by seven splendidly carved mighty horses. The Sun Temple was raised by King Narasimhadeva (1238-64 AD) of the Ganga Dynasty. It is believed that 1200 architects toiled for 12 years to built this temple coasting the kingdom 12 year’s revenue.
The whole temple complex is housed in a vast quadrangle, bounded by a fortress-like boundary wall. Situated near the main temple is the Nata Mandira which boasts beautiful carvings of musicians and dancers in various poses. The Archaeological Survey of India runs the Sun Temple Museum which showcases an excellent collection of sculptures from the temple ruins. The annual Konark Dance Festival, held in the first week of December, is attended by thousands of renowned dancers from all over India.
The Sun Temple of Konark is now protected under UNESCO’s World Heritage Site Project.
Konark is located 64 km North of Bhubaneswar and 33 km East of Puri in Orissa, India. Biju Patnaik Airport in Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport. Konark is well linked to Puri and Bhubaneswar by road.
