Did you know the sun temple of
konark in india is one of the unique temples around the world??? Yes, it
is … because of artistic magnificence and engineering
dexterity. The name Konark is derived from the words Kona – Corner and Arka –
Sun; it is situated on the north eastern corner of Puri or the Chakrakshetra. The
mythological reference is that Lord Krishna's son Sambawas cured of leprosy by
Sun god and he built the temple in the honour of Surya.Another story goes like this : Sun Temple of Konark, once contained a giant lodestone magnet, which held the entire edifice together by its force. This was so powerful that it used to disrupt the magnetic compass of the ships going through that route.The Portuguese removed the main magnet or lodestone as it was the cause of the destruction of lot of their ships and destroyed it. This lead to the collapse of most of the temple structure.
The temple was constructed from oxidized and weathered
ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty..
The temple is built in Kalinga style of Architecture in east to west direction
in such a way that the rays of the rising sun fall on the idol of the Solar
diety in the main sanctum. It took 12 years its completion. Works started
in 1245 AD and completed in 1256 AD. It has been declared a world heritage
site by UNESCO in 1984.
It’s known as “Black Pagoda”
due to its dark color and used as a navigational landmark by ancient sailors to
Odisha. The black colour of Sun Temple could be due to the accumulation of
moss, lichen and other fungal growth which turned the surface of the temple
into black colour. Its magnetic power drew ships into the shore and caused
shipwrecks in the past.
The large structure of Konark Temple seen today is actually the
entrance of the main temple. The main temple which enshrined the presiding
deity has fallen off and only the remains can be seen. The temple is erected in
the form of a huge chariot of Surya, the sun god. This chariot is placed on twelve pairs of
splendidly carved wheels and drawn by seven dynamic horses. According to one
saying, these 12 pair of wheels symbolizes 24 hours in a day, while the other
say, these wheels represent 12 months of the year. Seven days of the week are
said to be the representation of seven horses. These wheels are not ordinary
wheels but are inspiration for the modern time watches. The spokes
of the wheels create a sundial and one can calculate the precise time of the
day by just looking at the shadow cast by these spokes.
On either side of the entrance of the Konark Sun temple has two
huge lions. Each lion is shown crushing an elephant. Beneath each elephant lies
the human body. Lion represents pride and elephant represents money. What
a wonderful thought…!!!! It depicts problems faced by Human beings.
Around the base of the temple there are images
of animals, foliage, warriors on horses and other interesting structures. On
the walls and roof of the temple beautiful erotic figures are carved. Infront
of the temple there is natya mandir (dancing hall) where the temple
dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun god. There are three images
of the Sun God, positioned to catch the rays of the sun at dawn (happy and cheerful), at noon(Grim), and sunset(with a tired looking horse). Every
day, the Sun’s rays would reach the Nata Mandir from the coast and reflects
from the diamond placed at the center of the idol. The pillars have been aligned to ensure the sun rays
pass through without an obstruction during the Uttarayana and the Dakshinayana
! This is another angle of alignment. The geometric perfection is amazing !
Beyond the Natya Mandir, stands the 128 feet high Jaganmohana, the
Audience Hall or the front porch.
The Uniqueness of the Sun
Temple at Konark lies in the fact that it was built using the concept of
magnets. The peak of the temple was said to be a giant 52 ton magnet. A massive
magnet was placed at the temple top and each two stones of the temple are
inserting by iron plates. The statue of the Sun inside the temple was said to
be floating free in air based on the unique arrangements of the main magnet and
the reinforced magnets around the temple walls. Between every two stone pieces
in the temple there lies an iron plate.
Sun temple of Konark is a masterpiece of
Orissa's medieval architecture. The size of the
temple is awe-inspiring ; the Original structure was over
220 feet in high. Konark
is an exceptional mixture of marvelous temple architecture, heritage, exotic
beach and salient natural beauty. It showcases planned execution and
engineering brilliance of our ancestors. It was, or I may say is, the most beautiful temple ever built for the Sun God which got destroyed over time.
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