Konark Sun Temple, Odisha

 Konark Sun Temple is located in Konark, about 35 km northeast of Puri on the coast of Odisha, India.  It is a huge temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Surya and is one of the major tourist destinations in India.  A large number of foreign tourists also come to see this ancient temple.  Konark is made up of two words kona (kona) and arka.  Where the 'Kona' (cornor) means Corner and the 'Arka' means Sun.  When the two are combined, it is called Sun of the Corner.  This temple is also known as Black Pagoda as the tower of the temple looks black.  The Sun Temple of Konark is recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1984.

 Who built Konark Sun Temple -

 Based on Brahminic beliefs, this temple was constructed in the 13th century by King Narasimhadeva I (1238–1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty and was dedicated to the sun god Surya.  According to the legend, Lord Krishna's son Samb suffered from leprosy due to his curse.  Suryadev, who was the destroyer of all diseases, had also prevented this disease from him.  Samb then built the Konark Sun Temple to honor the Sun God, as the Lord cured his leprosy.  The Konark Sun Temple has also been added to the UNSECO World Heritage List.

 Where is the Sun Temple of Konark located -

 Konark Sun Temple is an iconic 13th century Sun Temple at Konark, about 35 kilometers northeast of Puri on the coast of Odisha, India.  Which is situated on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River.

 History of Sun Temple of Konark-

The Sun Temple of Konark, built in the mid-13th century, is a vast confluence of artistic grandeur and mastery of engineering.  The great ruler of the Ganga dynasty, King Narasimhadeva-I, built the majestic Sun Temple of Konark with the help of 1200 artisans during his reign 1243–1255 AD.  Since the rulers of the Ganga dynasty worshiped the Sun, the temple built in the Kalinga style has the Sun God seated on a chariot and the stones are carved with exquisite carvings.  This temple is built of red sandstone and black granite stones.  The entire temple site has been constructed by seven horses with twelve pair chakras dragged in, showing the Sun God seated.  At present, only one of the seven horses remains.  The temple that exists today has survived partly due to the patronage of archaeological teams from the British India era.

 Legend related to Sun Temple of Konark -

 According to mythology, Lord Krishna's son Samba suffered from leprosy due to curse of his father.  Samba did penance for 12 years at Konark at the ocean confluence of the Chandrabhaga River at Mitravan and pleased the Sun God, which cured his illness.  To thank him, he decided to build a temple in honor of Surya.  The next day while bathing in the river, he found a statue of God, which was taken out of the body of the Sun by Vishwakarma.  Samba installed this picture in the temple built by him at Mitravan, where he preached to God.  The place has since been considered sacred and known as the Sun Temple of Konark.

 Interesting facts about the Sun Temple of Konark -

 A heavy magnet was placed on the top of the temple and every two stones of the temple are equipped with iron plates.  The statue is said to be floating in the air due to the magnets.

 The Sun God is considered a symbol of energy and life.  The Sun Temple of Konark is considered to be the best for treating diseases and fulfilling wishes.

 The Sun Temple of Konark is considered one of the five great shrines located in Odisha while the other four sites are Puri, Bhubaneswar, Mahavinayak and Jajpur.

 The specialty of Sun Temple of Konark is that 12 pairs of wheels are located at the base of this temple.  In fact, these wheels are unique because they also tell the time.  The exact time of day can be estimated by seeing the shadow of these wheels.

The Konark wheel has 8 wider spokes and 8 thinner spokes. The distance between twowider spokes is of 3 hours (180 minutes). The thinner spoke between two wider spokes is of 1.5 hours (90 minutes). There are 30 beads between one wider spoke to the next thinner spoke and each bead represents 3 minutes. The Sun dial shows time in anti-clockwise and the top centre wider spoke represents 12 o' clock midnight.

 There is an iron sheet between each two stones in this temple.  The upper floors of the temple are constructed of iron beams.  52 tons of magnetic iron have been used in the construction of the main temple spire.  The entire structure of the temple is believed to be able to withstand the movements of the sea due to this magnet.

 It is believed that the first ray of sun falls directly on the main entrance in the Konark temple.  The rays of the sun cross the temple and reflect brightly with diamonds in the center of the statue.

 Both the entrance of the Konark Sun Temple and two giant lions are installed.  The elephant is crushed by these lions, each elephant has a human body under it.  Which is an adorable picture conveying to humans.

 The Nata temple or dance hall in the Sun Temple complex of Konark is also worth visiting.

 The structure of the temple and its stone sculptures are in aphrodisiac posture which reflects other features of this temple.

Destruction of the majestic temple -

Narasimha Deva I was the only Ganga prince who defeated the Bengal Muslims in multiple engagements and ensured peace for another 300 years until when Kalapa invaded Orissa in 1568.

According to the history of Orissa, Kalapahada invaded Orissa in 1568. He destroyed Konark temple, as well as a number of Hindu temples in Orissa.

Consequent upon, Orissa came under the Muslim administration in 1568 and there were constant attempts to destroy the Hindu temples.

The Madala Panji of Puri Jagannath temple describes how Kalapahada attacked Orissa in 1568. 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 (7.6 m) 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 displacement of the Dadhinauti, the temple gradually collapsed and the roof of the Mukasala was also damaged, due to the stones falling down from the temple top.

The main temple at Konark, locally called the deul, no longer exists.

Story related to the chief Architect of the temple:

The Sun Temple of Konark was built by 1200 artisans in a period of 12 years.The temple is not only famous for its mammoth structure and beautiful architecture but also for the stories that lives in the folklore for ages. One of the stories that describe the completion of the construction of the temple is the story of a 12 year old kid 'Dharmapada' son of Chief Architect 'Bishu Maharana' who sacrificed his life to save twelve thousand artisans.

The construction work of Sun Temple of Konark was over seen by Sibei Samantray Mahapatra and Bishu Maharana as the chief architect. The condition of the soil where the temple was to be erected, originally was so bad, that the chief architect, Bishu Maharana, who was entrusted with the work, became very much upset. But when there was no other way but to build on the same place on account of its sanctity, he with great difficulty managed to carry on the work. There was a contract between the king and workers, that no one will be allowed to go away until the whole work was completed.

Anyway the construction was going on, and it was nearing its completion, suddenly the chief architect Bisu Maharana and his workers faced the difficulty on fixing up the Dadhinauti (temple crown stone) in its proper position. In the mean time the chief architect's son 'Dharmapada' came to see his father with 'bari Barakoli'(home Jujube- a kind of Indian plum) for identification , as he was away from home for a long time. Dharmapada was born a month after his father's departure, and twelve years had gone by. Dharmapada was always sad as he had never seen his father and his mother never tell him much about his father. On his 12th birthday he asked his mother a gift and his mother told him about his father and his responsibility to build the Sun Temple of Konark near the sea. Dharmapada decided to meet his father and after a long journey he reached the construction site. He proceeded to the site and his father Bishu Maharana identified him by seeing the home jujube. After meeting his father and other artisans he came to know that they were not happy and facing a major problem. Though Bishu Maharana was glad to see his son, he could not conceal the fact of his not being able to put the Dadhinauti properly despite of several attempts and the dadhinauti used to fell down. He said, 'my boy, though the construction work is almost complete, we are experiencing difficulties in putting the kalasha. If we fail to do it within 7 days, the king will detach our heads from our body'. On hearing this the boy immediately got up at the top and discovered something wrong in the work. He immediatly rectified the defect and made the Kalasha to go into its proper position.

The work had done but the artisans were still thinking of their fate, that if the king comes to know all about this, he will certainly think that the artisans were not doing their job properly, which a little boy had done in such a short time. Dharmapada never wanted glory, name or fame for his achievements. He was happy that he saved so may lives by completing the temple for Sun God. Dharmapada was very much shocked and to cover up the matter, he climbed onto the temple top and jumped off into the deep blue waters of the sea to sacrfice his life.

A young boy who achieved the ultimate glory by completing the greatest temple ever built, sacrificed his life to save the life of others. After hundred of years, the Sun Temple is ruined but Dharmapada still be alive in the legend and in the ambitions of every artisan of Odisha.

Jai Shree Ram🙏🙏🙏