Konark Sun Temple - Journey In India - Travel & Discover

Konark is a village located at a distance of 66 kilometres from Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa, and is famous for its Sun Temple which marks the highest point of achievement in temple construction of the Kalinga order in Orissa. Konark is an outstanding testimony to the 13th century kingdom of Orissa. It is directly and materially linked to Brahman beliefs and forms an invaluable link in the history of the diffusion of the cult of Surya, which originated in Kashmir during the 8th century and finally reached the shores of eastern India. On the eastern coast of India, south of the Mahanadi delta, is the Brahman temple of Kimarak, one of the most famous Brahman sanctuaries of Asia. Once one passes through the Konark Sun Temple entrance, which is guarded by two huge lines, each crushing a war elephant, one finds oneself in the Hall of Offerings, a site of sacred temple dancing. The temple is famous for its exquisite and intricate stone carvings that cover every inch of the massive structure, rivalling those found on the Khajuraho temples. From peace and agriculture to war and struggle, men, women and children, as well as an almost endless variety of animals, are carved on this temple. The magic of this endless rhapsody of sculptures is so great that the visitor is unable to view the work with a critical eye. Replete with erotic and amorous figures, the monument brings a censurous beauty and celestial sublimity to happy union. It is a unique artistic achievement. The temple has generated those lovely legends, which are affiliated everywhere with absolute works of art. Its construction caused the mobilisation of 1,200 workers for 12 years. The architect Bisu Maharana, having left his birthplace to devote himself to his work, became the father of a son while he was away. This son, in his turn, became part of the workshop and after having constructed the cupola of the temple, which his father was unable to complete, immolated himself by jumping into space. The temple was exposed to adverse natural conditions, such as proximity to the shore, heavy monsoon showers, growth of vegetation on the temple and saline effect. Since its construction, the temple has never been repaired or maintained. In 1929, a stone, which was covered with moss and lichen, was examined by P. Paya, a botanist of international repute. There were 357 layers on the stone. Accepting that one rainy season was necessary for the deposit of one layer, 357 years must have elapsed for the formation of 357 layers. So the monument must not have been looked after since 1573 AD. Given the long years of neglect, the dilapidation of the temple must have happened over the course of a slow and gradual process. During British rule, steps were taken towards the conservation of the remaining part of the temple. To save the Yajmohan from possible collapse, the four entrances were permanently closed and the interior was vertically filled with sand by drilling a hole in the top and pouring sand through a funnel. Against the horizon on the sandy shore, where the rising sun emerges from the waters of the Gulf of Bengal, stands the temple, built from stone and carefully oriented so as to permit the first rays of the sun to strike its principal entry. The door frames were carved out of high quality chlorite stones and are another excellent specimen of decorative art. The door jamb is divided into eight divisions. The base of each division consists of a sculptural motif. Starting from the innermost are a demonic figure, a standing naga, two kinaras, which are half animals, half humans, a female, a male and a man with cows. Nature took over the destruction from there. Over the centuries, the sea receded, sand engulfed the building and salty breezes eroded the stone. The structure remained buried under a huge amount of sand until the early 20th century, when restoration began under the British. British archaeologists uncovered the lower parts of the temple that had remained well preserved beneath the sand and restored what they could of the rest of the ruins. Trees were planted to shelter the temple from the damaging winds and a museum was opened to display whatever sculpture was not left in situ or sent to Delhi, Calcutta or London. In 1924, the Earl of Ronaldshire proclaimed the newly revealed temple to be one of the most stupendous buildings in India, which rears itself aloft, a pile of overwhelming grandeur even in its decay. The main temple is a Rekha Deul, also known as a Viman, characterised by a curvy linear tower, while the frontal porch, where the devotees assemble, is a Pida Deul, the roof of which is made of Pidas, or horizontal stages. Both main temple and porch are square internally, but the exterior parts are broken by five small projections to produce an effect of light and shade on the surface and also to create an impression of one continuous vertical line called Rekha. In Orissan architecture, this type of temple is known as Pancharath Rekha Deul. Legends attribute the temple to the Puranic age and references are found in the Bhavisha and Samba Purana. Traditions attribute the construction of the temple to Samba, the son of Lord Krishna, who after being cursed with leprosy did severe penance for 12 years to get himself cured. The Konark Sun Temple and its team of horses face east so that the chariot can be pulled towards the rising sun. Each wheel has 12 spokes, representing the 12 months of the year. The seven horses, or each team, represent the days of the week. Eight spokes in each wheel represent the stations of a woman's ideal day. The horses were conceived in such a way that the sun god himself drives this chariot, his place being inside the Garbhagriha. The temple also symbolises the passage of time, which is under the sun god's control. The 12 pairs of wheels represent the 12 months of the year. The entire temple was planned in such a way that it is fitted with 12 pairs of exquisitely decorated stone wheels. The Konark Temple also marks the culmination of temple architecture in Orissa. As already mentioned, the wheels shown along the northern and southern walls of the platform holding the Pidhar and Rekhadeuls are another specimen of the exquisite and skilful decoration of Orissan sculptural art. Each wheel consists of a central hub and 16 spokes, out of which eight are broad and eight thin. The hub and spokes are intricately decorated and sculpted with various figures and motifs. The central portion of the wheel spokes, which resemble a diamond, is relieved with various deities like Isana, Isani, Surya, Vishnu and his incarnations. The spokes of the wheel are also sculpted in such a way that they broaden at the centre, like a diamond, becoming thinner at the ends. The spokes are minutely carved with motifs such as scrollwork, floral patterns, creepers, foliage, beaded strings and stylised chaitya windows. The axle of the wheel also contains deities, like a god and a goddess, Gajalakshmi, Krishna playing the flute, Gopis and cows, Narasimha and a king on an elephant. There are also erotic and amorous figures, Kanyas in various poses, a nobleman and a man standing with folded hands. There is also a princely cavalier, a man playing cymbals, elephant riders and hunting scenes. The surfaces of the temple are carved with exquisite stone sculptures of a wide variety of subjects, including many erotic scenes based on the Kama Sutra. Friezes above and below the wheels depict military processions and hunting scenes, with thousands of rampaging elephants. Look for the giraffe in the top frieze along the south side of the platform. This proves that Konarak traded with Africa in the 13th century. Like many Indian temples, Konarak comprises several distinct and well-organised spatial units. The vimana, or principal sanctuary, was surmounted by a high tower with a sikara, which was raised to the ground in the 19th century. To the east, the jahamogana, or audience hall, now dominates the ruins with its pyramidal mass. The Sun Temple, even in its ruined form, presents a majestic appearance in the midst of a vast stretch of sand. It was built around 2050 AD to celebrate the defeat of the Muslim invaders. It is said that powerful magnets placed in the tower empowered the king's throne to float in the air. European sailors often used the tower to navigate the shores along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, but they dubbed the temple the Black Pagoda because of the large number of shipwrecks in the area. The stones are laid in ashlar masonry. The individual stones were carved and finished smoothly, rendering the joints less visible. Due to their weight, these stones rested on top of one another firmly, supplemented by the use of iron dowels to hold them in place. Evidence indicates that three different kinds of stones were used in the temple's construction. The first, known as condolite, was used mainly for temple construction, while the high-quality chlorite was used for door jams and sculptures. The interior core of the temple and other structures were principally constructed using laterite stones. Condolite is prone to weathering and chemical alteration. This has been a major factor in the temple's gradual disintegration. Most of the garnet composition has decomposed into a spongy mass of oxide, which has been further deteriorated by the saline winds and heavy rainfall witnessed in the region. Consequently, the conservation of this temple has been an arduous task. To the south of Bogomandap, there is a kitchen room made of laterite stones. The well is located on the eastern flank of the north side of the kitchen. Its opening is internally lined with a course of condolite slabs, the portion below it being veneered with large bricks. Made of condolite, the low parapet above the mouth of the well is moulded in the form of a kura. Its entrance, flanked on either side by an oblong platform of laterite, directly faces the southern staircase of Bogomandap. The room has four corners with a central oblong courtyard. The east and west wings are much narrower than the other two flanks. The south and the north wings have three rows of pillars and the west wing a single row near the inner edge. There are no pillars in the eastern wing. The pillars take two forms. The majority are laterite with a square base and an octagonal shaft with central mouldings. The sides of the wings facing the courtyard evidently had no walls. The Sun Temple of Konark is ample testament to the artistic glory of the time. Conceived after the mythical seven-horse chariot of the sun god, the temple takes the form of a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels. The temple is unique in its architecture and implementation.