Trifter

brotee mukhopadhyay

The Sun Temple at Konark is a colossal structure. It testifies the fact that Orissa has touched the point of zenith in architecture by thirteenth century AD. Konark tells an excellent tale of life and passion for life in the language of stones arranged in wonderful mathematical symmetry. Hammers and chisels have acted upon stones in order to interpret art of eroticism as a sequel to which beautiful verses have been composed by the most talented architects of India who have long been put into oblivion for reasons not unveiled even today.

Yes, the Sun Temple at Konark in the Indian state of Orissa stands as an amazing religious monument. The main deity of the temple is the Sun. The Sun has been worshiped in India from the ancient days as other natural forces have been worshiped. The Sun (‘Surya’ in Sanskrit language) has been worshiped in India from the good old days of the Vedas. To treat the sun as a god has been common among different communities in different parts of the world. But a story has been attached with the legendary Konark as if to assert that rays of the sun have been applied in order to get relief from the curse of Leprosy.

The Sun Temple is a huge piece of architecture in the line of the chariots culture of Orissa. The structure is that of a very large chariot which has seven horses to pull and twelve wheels to roll. The wheels and vivid spokes of each of the wheel have been brilliantly detailed. The chariot is set to carry the Sun god across the celestial space or heavens. A pair of fierce lions is present at the main gate as watching instruments. The images of men and women in dancing or erotic mood and of warriors on horse-back and of some animals are mostly lifelike.

This magnificent temple for the Sun god was constructed by King Narasimha Deva of the Ganga dynasty in 1278 CE. Centuries passed and the Indian, as usual, have forgotten the glory of the past. Finally in the nineteenth century the site was excavated by the British archaeologists and the temple complex was discovered. The Europeans on the voyage while sailing through the Bay of Bengal had chance to notice the temple earlier and they named it ‘Black Pagoda”.

And this is Konark where thousands of tourists throng into every year. Persons visiting Puri generally keep a program for Konark.

Destination  Konark

Airways:

The nearest airport is at Bhubaneswar, the state capital of Orissa. Bhubaneswar is connected with Kolkata, Chennai, New Delhi and Mumbai by airways.

Roadways:

Konark is 35 km away from Puri and 60 km away from Bhubaneswar by the road. Bus and taxi ply always and the roads are responsibly maintained.

By Rail / Train:

Puri and Bhubaneswar are nicely connected with different parts of India by the railways. Puri is a junction station.

Weather of Konark :

Konark experiences tropical climate. The region experiences high humidity between March to early May when the temperature rises above 40 degree Celsius. Konark is close to the Bay of Bengal. But cooling effect is not guaranteed. The rainy season reigns from the middle of June to early October and temperature goes down. But winter is pleasant and in December and January it is more or less 15 degree Celsius.