Konark is better known for its Sun Temple dedicated to the Sun God
or Surya. A masterpiece of Orissa's medieval architecture, it has
been chosen as a United Nations (UNESCO) World Heritage Site. The
city of Konark derives its name from Konarka, the presiding deity
of the Sun Temple. The word 'Konarka' is actually a combination
of two words, kona means corner and arka means sun, and hence, the
word 'Konarka' means 'the sun of the corner'. Once a bustling port
with good maritime trade relations with Southeast Asian countries,
Konark was one of the earliest centres of Sun worshipping in India.
The
place has been referred to in the Puranas as Mundira or Mundirasvamin,
a name that was subsequently replaced by Konaditya or Konarka. Other
religious texts also point towards the existence of a sun temple
at Konark long before the present temple.
»Sun
Temple
The
Sun Temple at Konark is a World Heritage Site. King Narasimhadeo
(1238-64 AD) was the chief patron of the Konark Sun Temple. He wanted
to build a shrine dedicated to the Sun God. There are a number of
sun temples in India, but the most magnificent example of the vahana
in India is undoubtedly at Konark. To simulate the appearance of
a wheeled chariot, the longer sides of the platform over which the
temple stands were decorated with a relief of 12 massive, beautifully
carved wheels more than 10 feet (3 meters) in diameter. Each of
these giant wheels is a faithful reproduction of the real thing
in stone, complete with intricately carved hub, spokes, and pins.
To complete the illusion of the solar chariot, colossal freestanding
statues of seven galloping horses were installed before the main
entrance. The parapets on either side of the flight of steps leading
to the entrance too are actually a row of richly caparisoned, life-size
prancing steeds straining at their harness.
The
Orissa temples consist of a sanctum, one or more front porches (Jag
Mandir) with pyramidal roofs, a dance hall (Nat Mandir), and a hall
of offerings (Bhog Mandir) apart from the inner shrine (Garbhagriha)
where the deity resides. The Deul (main temple), Jagmandir and Nat
Mandir of the Sun Temple are covered with beautiful sculptural friezes
and carvings. Konark chiefly consists of the chariot called 'the
Black Pagoda' by the British, and its lofty ceremonial hall. The
great cube of masonry forming the temple basement is ornamented
with the amazing freestanding stone wheels. The lowest zone of this
base has continuous elephant and hunting friezes (carved stone panels),
among which one finds intriguing mythological beasts like the Gaja-Singha,
a lion riding an elephant. A series of niches separated by widely
projecting pilasters are full of superb erotic
sculpture.
The pyramidal roof which rises above this consists of corbelled
vaulting with a pleasantly wavy curvilinear effect. Three distinct
terraces recede to the huge stone lotus atop the shikhara.
»How
to reach Konark
By
Air : The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar, 64 km from Konark, which
is well connected to and from Calcutta, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai
and Nagpur.
By Rail : The nearest railway stations are Puri at a distance of
31 km and Bhubaneswar, at a distance of 64 km, which in turn are
well linked by trains to all the major cities of India.
By Road : Konark has a good network of roads including National
Highway and State Highway that connects it to Puri, Bhubaneswar
and all other major cities in Orissa.
