The Konark Sun Temple, which is under UNESCO World heritage in 1984, is among the many wonders of the world. This massive and magnificent structure is spellbinding and although mostly in ruins, it still upholds some of the best architectural and sculptural art of the 13th century Kalinga that is today’s Odisha.
Last month we visited Konark Sun Temple . We stayed at Puri and hired a car for visiting Konark.
We started from our hotel after a quick lunch and it took about 1hr (35 kms) to reach Konark via Puri – Konark Marine Drive road …….
Beautiful morning and nice journey ……. The driver dropped us about 1/2 km away from the temple (no vehicles are permitted beyond this distance from the temple premises).
We walked past hundreds of visitors. The Konark Sun Temple , the ruins, standing the test of time, are visible from the distance. Nowadays, the whole structure is undergoing a great deal of repairs to preserve the heritage.
Brief history of the Konark Sun Temple :
There are different documentations regarding the exact time of construction of this temple.
Taking into consideration the different views, the Konark Sun temple was constructed in the middle of the 13th century between 1240 and 1270 A.D. by King Narasimha Dev I of the Ganga dynasty. About 1200 artisans were involved in the construction under the leadership of master artisan Bishu Moharana. The temple construction was completed in 16 years!
The king spent a lavish amount of State revenue to construct the temple. At present currency rates, the estimated revenue then spent equals to some 2,00,00,00,000 INR (Two hundred crores of rupees).
The documentations of the reasons behind constructing this grand temple are also varied. Some say that the King built the Sun temple in the memory of his lady love, Mayadevi, who was the princess of the historical Sisupalgarh.
Another story puts forward that the father of King Narasimha Dev, Raja Anangavim Dev,believed that his son was born with the blessings of the Sun god. So, the queen, the mother of Narasimha Dev advised to build the temple as a tribute to the Sun god. Again, another story tells that the King had a deformed spinal cord and he built the temple for the Sun god to get rid of his deformity and have a healthy offspring.
The Temple Structure :
The temple is built in the shape of a gigantic chariot with 12 wheels on both the sides and 7 horses in front of the temple. It has three parts – the main temple (“Viman”), the porch (“Mukhasala” or “Jagamohan”) and the Hall of Dance (“Nata Mandir”) or Hall of Offerings (“Bhoga Mandap”).
The entrance gate makes a common passage to all the parts of the temple. The main temple (which had now collapsed completely)and the porch are built on a common platform while the Hall of Dance is built on a separate platform.
The structure of the Konark Sun Temple has been an architectural wonder. The artisans of the 13th century had constructed the main temple, the porch and the hall of dance at the eastern gate in such a way that the first ray of the sun would fall on the head of the idol of the Sun god placed on the throne of the main temple, passing through the doors of all the temples.
The Guided Tour :
We queued up in the line at the ticket counter to buy our entry tickets. On both sides of the pathway, there are various local shops selling shells, conches, cowries, numerous handcrafted items made from coconut, palms and a wide range of local goods.
A nice morning with mild clouds on the sky ………. and by the time we reached the entrance gate to show our tickets to the security, I was too excited to get into the realm of history.
On each side of the entrance to the temple stands a huge statue of a lion crushing a war elephant beneath whom lies a man…….
There’s no audio guide nor descriptions for the structures on site. No wonder there are so many local guides around. Despite being a weekday, it’s crowded.
Walking past the two statues, I enter the Nata Mandir (dancing hall), where temple dancers would pay homage to the Sun God with their performance. Facing the Nata Mandir is the Sun Temple itself.
The temple was built in such a way that the first rays of the rising sun would touch the Nata Mandir and reflect from the diamond in the middle of the idol in the temple’s main sanctum.
Simply mesmerizing! ……… and these structures are more than seven hundred years old!
Due to its height, the Nata Mandir offers a good view of the Sun Temple complex. Within the area, there are different subsidiary structures.
Even in its partially-ruined state, this architectural marvel reflects the genius of its builders…..
Superbly carved intricate sculptures adorn the existing Sun temple’s exterior. These include deities, floral and geometric patterns, dancers, musicians, elephants, birds, mythical creatures and… lovers in erotic poses.
The surface walls of the Sun Temple are carved with exquisite stone sculptures with a wide variety of subjects, including many erotic scenes based on the Kama Sutra. Erotic sculptures are found especially in niches halfway up the porch (existing Sun Temple), along the sides of the platform and around the doorways of the main building.
Similar sculptures can be found on the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. The erotic art most likely symbolizes the ecstatic bliss enjoyed by the soul when it unites with the divine, but there are a number of theories on the matter.
Another unique feature of the temple was the wheel of the chariot. All 24 of them served as sundials.
The wheels of Konark Sun Temple are so special that they deserve a special mention. There are 24 wheels in total, in pairs of two, on both sides and back of the chariot. All wheels are about 3 m in diameter, each having 8 main spokes and 8 secondary spokes, the former representing the eight praharas (3-hour period) of a 24 hour day. Each wheel, though identical when seen from a distance, is unique once you come closer.
There are flights of stairs on the eastern and northern sides of the temple from which one can go up to what would once have been the base of the mandapa and sanctum. From whatever remains of the main structure, we could still see beautiful figurines of celestial some very good carvings.
There are some other structures and artefacts scattered in the Konark Sun Temple complex that can be of interest to visitors. There is a temple dedicated to Chhaya Devi, the favourite consort of Sun, to the southwest, which was excavated much later. The base of this Chhaya Devi temple is like a lotus petals and there are various other sculptures present around this temple .
You can witness the sculpture of a flying lion that was on the eastern side of the present SunTemple preserved on a platform adjacent to the northern side of the temple inside the temple compound.
Also, there are magnificent idols of war horses and war elephants that are now placed on newly constructed platforms on the northern and southern side of the temple. During excavation, 14-feet high compound walls were discovered surrounding the temple complex. Through east to west, the wall runs for 857 feet and from north to south, it is 540 feet.
There were also kitchens, bathing areas, etc. inside the compound. However, only the remains of these structures can be seen.
Konark Sun Temple Light and Sound Show
A major attraction at the Sun Temple is the amazing light and sound show held in the evenings. Counted among the best light and sound shows in India, it recounts the historical and religious significance of the temple in a visually appealing manner. Wireless headphones are provided to the audience and the shows are held twice daily. Note that the shows are held only if there is an audience of at least 25 people.
• Duration: 40 mins
• Language: English, Hindi, Oriya
• Timings :
- March to October – 7:30 pm to 8.10 pm; 8:20 pm to 9:00 pm
- November to February – 6:30 pm to 7:10 pm; 7:30 pm to 8:10 pm
- No shows on Mondays
• Tickets: 250/- INR per person
Konark Sun Temple – A Ready Reckoner :
- Konark Sun Temple is situated about 35 kilometers from the temple city of Puri and 72 kilometers from Bhubaneswar, the capital city of the Indian state of Odisha.
- The nearest airport is the Biju Patnaik International Airport situated in Bhubaneswar and connected to all major cities of India.
- One can stay in Bhubaneswar or Puri and visit the Konark Sun Temple, there is a range of accommodation from budget to luxury, both in Bhubaneswar and Puri. Odisha Tourism has accommodation available at Konark itself too.
- The best time to visit Konark Sun Temple is during the winter months between October to March as the weather is pleasant. During the summers the place tends to get a little too hot for comfort.
- The Konark Sun Temple is open from Sunrise to Sunset
- The fees for entry to the Konark Sun Temple is Rs.40 for Indian citizens and Rs.600 for foreign nationals. There is no fees for still cameras and one can photograph to your heart’s content
- When in Konark also visit the Chandrabhaga Beach and the Archaeological Museum which are nearby.
A visit to the Konark Sun Temple is like a walk down the intriguing and fascinating pages of history that seem to spell bind you with the mystery and romance of the unknown and unanswered.
In spite of being just a faded image of its former glory, the Konark Sun Temple is still a marvel of human engineering, a symbol of incredible India’s heritage for generations to cherish.
Over-all, its an awesome and MUST VISIT place if you are a tourist travelling Odisha !!
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