Interesting facts about Konark Sun Temple | Historical Facts

Konark’s Sun Temple or Sun Temple is located in the town of Konark, about 35 km northeast of Puri district, the eastern seaboard, of the state of Orissa in India. It is a large temple dedicated to the Hindu deity Surya and is one of the major tourist destinations in India. Even after 750 years of its construction, the Sun Temple makes everyone speechless with its uniqueness, vastness, and artistic beauty. The Sun Temple of Konark is also called the Black Pagoda in English because the tower of the temple looks black. Konark is made up of two words Kona and arka. Where Kona means corner and arka means sun. When the two are combined, it is called Sun of the Corner, Konark. The shape of the Sun Temple represents the chariot of Lord Surya in which 24 chariot wheels and 6 horses are seen to lead. Konark is also known as Ark Kshetra. The Sun Temple of Konark is recognized, by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1984. Konark Sun Temple is the Jagamohan or Mahamandapa of that Sun Temple built on the side, which has been, destroyed long ago.

Amazing Famous Facts About Konark Sun Temple For Tourists and Kids

1. Construction of chariot shape-
The Konark temple is built, in the form of a chariot with a total of 24 wheels. A chariot wheel has a diameter of 10 feet, and there are also 7 horses on the chariot.

2. UNESCO World Heritage Site-
Astonishing Konark temple of ancient architecture, art is included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the only temple in the state of Odisha to receive this honor.

3. Education of mortality –
Two big lions are built, on the entrance of Konark temple. In which every lion is told to destroy the elephant. And inside the human body, there is also an elephant. In that scene, the lions are representing pride and elephant money. Many problems of humans have been, told in that one scene.

4. Dedicated to the Sun God –
The Sun God is worshiped, in the temple. The shape of the temple is like, an immense chariot and this temple is known, for its unique artwork and use of precious metals made in temple construction.

5. The wheels of the chariot of the temple act as a sun clock and tell the correct time-
The main attraction of this temple is the pair of 12 wheels made in the chariot. These wheels, are not ordinary because these wheels tell us the right time, those wheels are also called sundial. Any person can guess the right time from the shadow of a wheel.

6. The science behind construction-
A massive magnet has been, established in the upper part, of the temple and an iron plate is also placed, on every two stones of the temple. The magnets are so placed, in the temple that they move around in the air. This type of construction work is also, the main reason for the attraction of people, people come from far and wide to see it.

7. Kala Pagoda –
The Konark temple was first to be built, along the sea, but the sea steadily receded and the temple also moved away from the seashore. And for the dark color of the temple, it is called Kala Pagoda, and it is used in Odisha to reduce negative energy.

8. Ecological Surprise-
Every single piece of Konark temple is unique in itself and attracts people. That is why Konark Sun Temple is one of the seven wonders of India.

9. Direction at the edges-
Every day the first rays of the sun come through the Natya Mandir to the central part of the temple. At the time of colonization, the British fired magnets to obtain magnetic metal.

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History and Information about Konark Sun Temple

According to historians, during the reign of Afghan ruler Mohammad Gauri in the 13th century, when Muslim rulers conquered many states including the northeastern states of India and the provinces of Bengal, Till that time, no ruler came forward to confront these powerful Muslim rulers, then Hindu rule reached, the verge of destruction and it was expected that Hindu empire would end in Orissa too. At the same time, with this situation, the ruler of Ganga dynasty Narasimhadeva dared to fight against the Muslim rulers and attacked them against the Muslim rulers with his smart strategy to teach them a lesson. At the same time, Sultan Iltutmish was seated on the Talkh of Delhi, after whose death Naseeruddin Mohammed was succeeded and Tugan Khan was appointed the Governor of Bengal. After this, in 1243 AD, a great war between Narasimha Dev I and Tugan Khan. In this battle, Narasimha Dev won by defeating the Muslim army. Let us tell you that Narasimha Dev was a great worshiper of Surya Dev, so he decided to build a Konark Sun Temple dedicated to Surya Dev in the joy of his victory.

Konark Temple Story-

Many religious and mythological stories are also associated with the Konark Sun Temple, an astonishing specimen of medieval architecture of Orissa. According to another legend, it is, believed that Lord Krishna’s son Samba once mistreated Narada Muni due to which Narada cursed Samba for having leprosy. When Samba realized his mistake, Sage Cuttack advised Samba to perform rigorous penance and worship of Narada Muni’s Sun God to avoid this curse. Consequently, Samba, son of Shri Krishna, did harsh retribution of Surya Dev for nearly 12 years near Mitravan on the banks of the Chandrabhaga River. Following, one day while Samba was bathing in the Chandrabhaga river, he found an idol of Lord Surya Dev in the water, after which he placed this idol at that place, where today it remains the world-famous Konark Sun Temple. In this way, Samba got freedom from a curse, after worshiping Surya Dev and his disease was cured completely since then this temple has immense importance. The faith of crores of devotees is attached to this temple, that is why devotees come from far and wide to visit this temple. The great poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: “Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man”.

The incredible architecture of Konark Sun Temple

The Sun Temple of Konark is one of the best specimens of medieval architecture of Orissa. This temple is considered to be the highest point of achievement of Kalinga architecture as the architecture of this famous Konark Sun Temple is quite similar to the architecture of Kalinga Temple. The structure of the Konark Sun Temple located near Puri, the eastern seashore of Orissa and its stone sculptures are in the aphrodisiac posture, which reflects the other features of this temple very brilliantly.

The Konark Sun Temple, built in the shape of an immense chariot, has about 12 pairs of giant wheels, which appear to be pulled by about 7 powerful horses. At the same time, these wheels work as, incense and their shadow are estimated from time. Let us tell you that the 7 horses of this temple are considered to be the symbol of all the seven days of the week, while the 12 pair of wheels represent the 24 hours of the day. Along with this, the eight toddies in these shows the eight watches of the day. It is the only Sun temple made of black granite and red sandstone, which is known all over the world for its unique texture and grandeur. Many precious metals have been, used in the construction of that incredible temple.

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This Surya temple also three different statues of Lord Surya Dev in childhood, youth and old age, called Udit Surya, Madhyam Surya, and Astha Surya. This temple has been, included in the UNESCO World Heritage list for its beautiful artwork and unique architecture. The main entrance of the Konark Sun Temple depicts the scene of the destruction of elephants by lions, in which the lion is believed to be a symbol of arrogance, pride and elephant wealth. Religious beliefs of millions of people are also associated with this Sun Temple located in Odisha. It is, believed that just visiting, this temple removes all the pains connected with the body and all wishes are fulfilled. At the same time, tourists from all over the country and abroad come to see the marvelous artwork and architecture of this magnificent Sun Temple.

At the same time, this temple is also known, as Black Pagoda, in fact, the towering pillar of this grand temple looks black. The rise of the sun and the roaring sound of the sea attracted Narasimhadeva from early life. The river Chandrabhaga, which is now almost entirely over, once flowed within a mile north of the temple site and was joining the sea. Narasimhadeva fancied the location for his stated temple, which not only enabled him to build buildings from various places on the river, but also his sanctity was considered by him.

The main temple is built in three pavilions. Of these, two tents have collapsed. In the third pavilion where the idol was, the British had filled the sand and stones before independence and had all the gates permanently closed so that the temple could not be damaged further. There are three idols of Sun God in this temple:

• Childhood – rising sun – 4 feet
• Youth – Mid-Sun – 9.5 feet
• Old Age – Sun – 3.5 feet

Twelve-month symbol cycle-

Giant circles outside the temple on the wall grab the attention of tourists. The diameter of each circle is more than three meters. The group of elephants under the chakras is engraved very nearly. The chariot of the Sun God has twelve pair cycles on it, which symbolize the twelve months of the year.

Places to visit around Konark Sun Temple –

Apart from the Konark Sun Temple, there are beautiful beaches, famous temples and ancient Buddhist sites around the city of Konark. Which are the center of attraction of tourists visiting Konark temple? You can roam here many tourist places including Chandrabhaga beach, Ramchandi temple, Beleshwar, Pipli, Kakatpur, Chaurasi, Balighai. All these places are located four to five kilometers, from the Sun Temple of Konark, which are worth seeing.

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Where to stay in Konark-

There are limited options to stay in Konark. Travelers can stay in hotels in the city according to their budget. To stay here, private establishments like, Travelers Lodge, Konark Lodge, Sunrise, Sun Temple Hotel, Lotus Resort, and Royal Lodge are available where you can stay. Apart from this, government accommodation is also available in the Panthivas Yatri Niwas operated by the OTDC, where there is a stay facility.

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How to reach Konark Sun Temple –

The best time to visit this magnificent Konark Sun Temple in the state of Odisha is considered to be from February to October, as the weather is immeasurable during this time. To visit this temple, airplane, bus, and train can be reached, by all three modes.

How to reach Konark Sun Temple by Airplane-

The nearest to Konark is Bhubaneswar Airport, for which regular flights fly from many big cities of the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata. Konark can be reached from the airport by taxi or bus.

How to reach Konark Sun Temple by Rail-

On the other hand, if tourists are going by rail, then Bhubaneswar and Puri railway stations are the nearest to Konark. The distance of Konark from Bhubaneswar railway station is 65 kilometers, and the distance of Puri is 35 kilometers. Where you can easily reach by taxi or bus.

How to reach Konark Sun Temple by Bus-

There are many deluxe and good buses plying regularly from Puri and Bhubaneswar to Konark. Apart from this, some private tourist buses and taxis also run.

Due to the religious importance and beautiful design of Konark Sun Temple, millions of tourists come here not only from the country but also from abroad and enjoy the beautiful artwork of this magnificent temple and get rid of all kinds of sufferings.