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Indian Travelogue
KonarkMagnificent Sun Temple
Indian Travelogue

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Konark is situated at a
comfortable distance
from the famous
religious and tourist
centre of Puri (35 K.M.)
and the capital city of
Bhubaneswar (65 K.M.)
in the state of Orissa,
India.
How to reach
Air: Bhubaneswar airport
is the nearest airport
with a number of flights
connecting Konark with
Kolkata, Delhi, Hyderabad,
and Chennai.
Rail: the railway stations
at Konark is well linked
with almost all the major
destinations in India by
regular trains.
Road: An extensive road
network connects it to
the rest of the country via
National highways and
State highways linking it
with Puri, Bhubaneswar
and other cities in Odisha
(Orissa) and its neighboring
states.
Orissa unlike many other
parts of India has the prized
distinction of possessing
an uninterrupted series
of temples illustrating the
history of the well-defined
Kalinga (former name
of Orissa) from its very
inception to decline, and
the Sun Temple of Konark
marks the highest point of
achievement.
Konark, the seat of the
World famous Sun Temple
is located in the District
of Puri, forms one of the
three points of the “Golden
Triangle of Tourism” in the
State of Orissa, the other
two being Bhubaneswar,
the city of Temples and
Puri, the abode of Lord
Jagannath.
This Temple chariot of the
Sun God on the golden
sands of the Bay of
Bengal is a 13th Century
architectural marvel. Today
Konark is not merely a
symbol of Orissa’s great
architectural craftsmanship,
but also the most sought
after centre of attraction for
tourists all over the World.
Its serene atmosphere
coupled with a quiet,
but majestic seashore is
regarded as an ideal place
for holidaying by domestic
as well as foreign tourists.
On the eastern sea coast
is the ruins of a temple,
exquisitely built to resemble
a gigantic chariot with
impeccably carved wheels,
columns and panels. It
stands as a mute reminder
of the times when Orissan
architecture has reached its
pinnacle.
History
King Narasimha Deva-I
of the Ganga Dynasty
had ordered this temple
to be built as a royal
proclamation of the
political supremacy of his
dynasty. A workforce of
12 hundred artisans and
architects invested their
creative talent, energy
and artistic commitment
for an exhausting period
of 12 years. The king
had already spent an
amount equivalent to the
state’s revenue receipts
of 12 years. However
the completion of the
construction was nowhere
near sight. Then the king
issued a final command
that the work be completed
by a stipulated date. The
team of architects headed
by Bisu Maharana was
at its wit’s end. It was
then that Dharmapada
the 12 year old son of
the chief architect Bisu
Maharana arrived there
as a visiting onlooker.
He became aware of the
anxiety looming large
among the architects.
Although he did not have
any practical experience
of temple construction, he
was thorough in his study
of the theories of temple
architecture. He offered
to solve the confounding
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Sensuality in Konark

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problem of fixing the last
coping stone at the top of
the temple. He surprised
everyone by doing that
himself. But soon after
this achievement the dead
body of this adolescent
prodigy was found on the
sea beach at the foot of the
temple.
The most popular cause
of the destruction of this
magnificent temple rests
with the Kalapahad for
the fall of Konark temple.
According to the history of
Orissa, Kalapahad invaded
Orissa in 1568. Including
Konark temple, he had
also destroyed a number of
Hindu temples in Orissa. It
is described in the Madala
Panji of Puri Jagannath
temple that Kalapahad
attacked Orissa in 1568
and it was an evil hour for
Orissa. Including Konark
temple, he broke most of
the images in most of the
Hindu temples in Orissa.
Though it was impossible
to break the Sun temple
of Konark, the stone walls
of which are of 20 to 25
feet thick he somehow
managed to displace the
Dadhinauti (Arch stone)
and thus made a way for
the temple to collapse.
He also broke most of the
images and other side
temples of Konark. Due
to the displacement of the
Dadhinauti, the temple
gradually collapsed and the
roof of the Mukhasala also
got damaged due to the
stroke of the stones falling
down from the temple top.
Consequent upon, Orissa
came under the Muslim
administration in 1568
and there were constant
attempts to destroy the
Hindu temples. The Pandas
of Puri, to save the sanctity
of the Puri temple, took
away the Lord Jagannath
from the Srimandir and kept
the image in a secret place.
Similarly, it is said that the
“Consequent
upon, Orissa
came under
the Muslim
administration in
1568 and there
were constant
attempts to
destroy the Hindu
temples. The
Pandas of Puri, to
save the sanctity
of the Puri temple,
took away the
Lord Jagannath
from the Srimandir
and kept the
image in a secret
place. “
Indian Travelogue

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The Black
Pagoda
Indian Travelogue
Pandas of Konark took
away the presiding deity of
the Sun temple out of the
temple and put under sand
for some years. Latter the
said image was taken to
Puri and kept in the temple
of Indra in the compound
of the Puri Jagannath
temple. According to
others, the Puja image of
the Konark temple is yet to
be discovered. But some
hold the view that the Sun
image now kept in the
National Museum, Delhi
was the presiding deity of
the Konark Sun temple.
The Black Pagoda
The main Temple was called
by European sailors “The
Black Pagoda” as it formed
an important landmark for
them in their coastal voyage.
Contrasting to this, the white
washed Temple of Lord
Jagannath at Puri was known
as the white pagoda.
Legends
“Konarka”, the place bears a
name composed of two World
elements: Kona means corner
and Arka meaning the Sun.
The Sun god worshipped in
Ark Kshetra is also called
Konark. In ‘Brahma Purana’
the Sun God in Ark-Kshetra
has been described as
Konaditya. It is described
in Purushotham Mahatmya
that Lord Vishnu after killing
the demon Gayasur, to
commemorate the glory of his
victory, placed his Shankha
(conch) in Puri, Chakra
(disc) in Bhubaneswar, Gada
(mace) in Jajapur and Padma
(lotus) in Konark and they
were later known as Shankha
Kshetra, Chakra Kshetra,
Gada Kshetra and Padma
Kshetra respectively.
The five supreme Gods
worshipped by Hindus
were Ganesh (destroyer
of obstacles and fulfiller of
desires), Vishnu (the cosmic
sustainer of the phenomenal
universe), Siva (the cosmic
destroyer of the universe),
Durga (the mother goddess
and source of all energies),
and the Sun (the life giving
energy). They are called
Pancha-Devata.
In Orissa there are five
different Kshetra or religious
centers celebrated for these
Pancha Devata viz: Vinayak
or Ganesh Kshetra at Maha
Vinayak hills in the district of
Cuttack, Vishnu or Shankha
(the attributes in the hands
of Lord Vishnu) Kshetra at
Puri, Siva or Ekamra Kshetra
at Bhubaneswar, Durga or
Viraja Kshetra at Jajpur or
Yajanapur
According to mythology,
Samba, son of Lord Krishna
was smitten with leprosy
due to the curse of Lord
Krishna. Samba for twelve
years underwent severe
penance at Mitravana
near the confluence of the
Chandrabhaga River with the
sea at Konark and ultimately
succeeded in pleasing the
God Surya, the healer of all
skin diseases and was cured
of his illness. In gratitude,
he decided to erect a temple
in the honour of Surya. The
day following his cure, while
Samba was bathing in the
Chandrabhaga he discovered
an image of the Sun God,
which had been fashioned
out of Surya’s body by
Viswakarma. Samba installed
this image in a temple built
by him in Mitravana, where
he propitiated the God. Since
then throughout the ages this
place has been regarded as
sacred”.
A shallow pool of water is
known as the Chandrabhaga,
where even now crowds of
pilgrims take bath before
sunrise on the seventh day of
the bright half of the month of
Magha (January-February).
A fair also takes place on this
occasion. Magha-Saptami
is mentioned in the Madala
Panji as one of the festival
of this holy centre. It is also
referred to the Brahma
Purnima in connection with
the description of Konark.

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On the WallsMayadevi Temple
On the Chakra
Chakra on the Temple
Indian Travelogue
Konark Temple
Entrance