Konark Sun Temple A living Legend

Posted On December 9, 2011

Come to the land of Orissa and see the grandeur of the grand architecture of the temples here. Enjoy the beautiful architectural elegance of the temples here and experience the historical past. Visit the Konark Sun Temple the 13th century wonder and go into a land of unimaginable constructions. With the sandstone construction, the Konark Sun Temple is a marvel . With a great background of the Orissa architectural style this is a widely popular Indian temple and is also a World Heritage Site. Counted amongst one of the seven wonders of India, this temple has a legend behind it.

It is said that Lord Krishna’s son Samba got this temple built. Samba suffered from leprosy as his father’s curse befell him. He penanced for 12 years and the Sun god Surya pleased with this, blessed him and Samba got cured. Thus Samba built this Sun temple in gratitude.

The name Konark comes from the word Kona which means corner and the Arka which means Sun. Situated on the shoreline and a little away from the Sea, the temple has been built like a chariot of the Sun God Lord Surya. With beautiful decorations and magnificent stone carvings, this temple is a beautiful work of Indian art. The chariot with twelve spirited horses, along with the beautiful decorations dominate the architecture. There are beautiful wheels at the base of the temple structure which render the temple even more beautiful. The spokes on the wheels depict the sundials, and it is said that the shadows that are cast by the temple depict the actual time of the day. The roof is a pyramidal shape and rises up to around 30 m in height. There are beautiful sculptures depicting the erotic kind of architectural pattern that existed in those days. In fact the work here is very similar to that of the Khajuraho caves.

The Konark Sun temple exhibits the way the Sun God moves in his royal chariot. It is worshipped by all sects of people in Indian and across the world. It is believed that the Sun God exists in every person so there is no differentiation here. The architectural style is predominantly the Kalinga style and the construction pattern is beautifully executed. There is a gigantic hall, which is the audience hall and there are two other halls which are the dining hall and the dancing hall. The unique feature of this temple is that it faces the east west direction. The temple spans an area of 857 ft by 540 ft.

There are trees surrounding the temple and these enhance the beauty of the surroundings. Rosewood, eel, and mahogany, trees are found here and the temple looks resplendent in this beautiful ambience. Most of the Konark Sun temple is in ruins due to invasions on this land of Orissa. Even now there are lot of disfigured structures seen on the walls of the temple. There are images of snakes, elephants, giraffe, and many mythological figures on the temple walls. Don’t miss the beautiful images of Goddess Shakti, Lord Shia and Lord Vishnu on these magnificently constructed walls of the Konark Sun Temple.