Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda)[1], at Konark, in Orissa. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I (1238-1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. 

Legend has it that the temple was constructed by Samba, the son of Lord Krishna. It is said that Samba was afflicted by leprosy, brought about by his father’s curse on him. After 12 years of penance, he was cured by Surya, the Sun God, in whose honor he built the magnificent Konark Sun Temple. 

The Sun Temple, built in the thirteenth century, was conceived as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God, with twelve pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven pairs of horses. Majestic in conception, this temple is one of the most sublime monuments of India, famous as much for its imposing dimensions and faultless proportions as for the harmonious integration of architectural grandeur with plastic allegiance. Every inch of the temple is covered with sculpture of an unsurpassed beauty and grace, in tableaux and freestanding pieces ranging from the monumental to the miniature. The subject matter is fascinating. Thousands of images include deities, celestial and human musicians, dancers, lovers, and myriad scenes of courtly life, ranging from hunts and military battles to the pleasures of courtly relaxation. These are interspersed with birds, animals (close to two thousand charming and lively elephants march around the base of the main temple alone), mythological creatures, and a wealth of intricate botanical and geometrical decorative designs. 

The temple is famous for its erotic sculptures, which can be found primarily on the second level of the porch structure. It will become immediately apparent upon viewing them that the frank nature of their content is combined with an overwhelming tenderness and lyrical movement. This same kindly and indulgent view of life extends to almost all the other sculptures at Konark, where the thousands of human, animal, and divine personages are shown engaged in the full range of the 'carnival of life' with an overwhelming sense of appealing realism.  

Legend has it that, the uniqueness of the temple lies in the fact that between every two stone pieces there lies an iron plate (this can be clearly seen). The temples higher floors have been reinforced using massive iron beams. This fantastic effort in human perseverance took 1200 workers about 12 years to complete and that the ’’Dadhinauti’’ (Peak) of the main temple had to be installed by the 12 year old son of the Chief Architect. The said peak being a 52 ton magnet. This magnet was the reason the entire edifice endured the harsh conditions (being on the sea front) for centuries without being affected. The main pratima (idol) was believed to be floating in the air because of the unique arrangements of the main magnets and other series of magnets. The placement of the temple had been aligned in a way that the first rays of the Sun falling on the coast would pass thru the Nata Mandir and would reflect from the diamond placed at the center of this idol in the Main Sanctum. This phenomena would last for a couple of minutes during the early morning. These magnets were later removed by the Britishers for acquiring the magnetic stone, 

Other legends state that, the magnetic effects of the lodestone was so strong that it disturbed the ships compasses that passed by the coast and the ships would run aground. To save their trade and their ships, the Portuguese took away the lodestone. The lodestone that was acting as the central stone and keeping all the stones of the temple wall balanced, fell out of alignment because of its removal and eventually led to the destruction of Main Sanctum. 

Source: Wikipedia

I certainly couldn't describe it better myself. The temple is nearly overwhelming. It is immediately clear that a heck of a lot of forethought went into it. 

Having downed two generous helpings of bhang lassi, Adam and I got in an auto rickshaw and headed for "another" temple, i.e. not the Jagannath Puri one. With no expectations, it would never have been much of a challenge to impress us. But we could not have anticipated something so great: truly a monument to a brilliant civilization.

At the entrance to the temple grounds, a middle-aged man came up to us. He was wearing a uniform of sorts, so without too much thought, seeing that he kind of looked official, I handed him Rs. 200 and he was hired as our guide. To be fair, he was very knowledgeable, and it was also apparent that he was a Brahmin, which made the tour extraordinarily informative. However he was also a chauvinistic Hindu nationalist, and spewed invective at length, the contents of which are not worth repeating. By the end of the tour, we felt rather uncomfortable in his presence.

The prejudices of others aside, it was truly an amazing sight, and we experienced it in a meaningful way.

We are about halfway through our sojourn in Puri. Varanasi is still an idea, but perhaps later on. Thoughts are now turning towards Darjeeling, part of the "original" plan. Today is just lazing around the hotel grounds. Tomorrow will involve a trip to the travel agent.