The Prominent Features of the Konark Temple
The Sun Temple of Konark, built in the thirteenth century, is one of the largest and most impressive Hindu temples in India. Known to ancient sailors as the Black Pagoda, The Sun Temple stands near the Indian Ocean in the Indian state of Orissa. UNESCO declared the Sun Temple a World Heritage Monument in 1984.
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History
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The Hindu Ganga King Narasimhadeva probably built the Sun Temple of Konark in the 1250s, possibly to commemorate his victory over Muslim invaders from Western India. The king dedicated the entire temple to the sun god Surya. Muslims finally conquered the area, damaging the temple in the process. With the end of Hindu rule, the temple fell into disrepair, as wind, water and salt damaged the stone of the temple. By the time when the British gained control of India, sand had buried almost the entire structure. Excavations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries restored the still impressive remains.
Structure
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Because Narasimhadeva dedicated the temple to the worship of Surya, the entire structure takes the shape of a massive chariot that Surya might use to draw the sun across the sky. Originally, seven massive horses representing the days of the week pulled a mighty chariot structure carved with 12 pairs of wheels representing the 12 months of the year. Unfortunately, only one of the horses still stands. The temple sanctuary, once presumably the centerpiece of the complex, has lost its roof. The massive jabamohana, or porch, retains its massive three-tiered roof and has now become the focus of Konark.
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Sculpture
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The Sun Temple is famous not only for its size but also its elaborate sculpture and carvings. Thousands of statues and carvings cover the temple structure. They depict a massive variety of scenes: gods and goddesses, musicians, artists, dancers, animals and scenes of pastoral and daily life. Some notable structures include an African giraffe and a woman wearing Japanese-style sandals, indicating the extent of trade at the time. The temple is famous for the many carvings that depict couples in a variety of sexual positions, a characteristic the Sun Temple shares with the Khajuraho temple complex in Madhya Pradesh.
Other Temple Structures
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In addition to the main temple structure, the site hosts two other smaller temples. The Mahagayatri Temple lies close to the main temple and may be a shrine to a wife of Surya or an earlier temple dedicated to the sun god. To the west of this temple lie the remains of a Vaishnava temple. Both these smaller temples appear to have been built in the eleventh century.
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References
- Photo Credit Hemera Technologies/Photos.com/Getty Images
