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Surya’s
Favourite
Abode
The sun temple of Konark continues to
dazzle tourists year after year.
Iam walking down the pebbled path towards the sombre ruins of the Black Pagoda of Konark, awed by the tantalising spell it casts on all visitors. The 800-year-old stone temple of the Sun God, though ravaged over the centuries by the vagaries of nature and human predators, still indicates the grandeur and majesty it was endowed with. Everything here is unique, unmatched and overpowering. I stand atop the thick masonry wall: the ancient monument looks black, broken and its silence, divine.
A green belt of century-old-trees line up but the sun strikes hard. I descend a flight of nine steps and enter into the 11-acre-complex. There is a strange quietness as if everything is in a trance. The shining, swarthy stones warm up for their Lord. A flurry of activities, snapped since centuries, compel one to hold one’s tongue.
This is a unique temple dedicated to Lord Surya. The young king Langula Narasimha Deva (of the Ganga dynasty, who ruled between 1238 and 1264 AD) returned after conquering the Muslim invaders, with plenty of wealth and built this temple in honour of his istadeva, Lord Surya. The temple took 16 years to complete. Twelve hundred masons and artisans laboured. The countrymen were so impressed that they voluntarily donated
money, ornaments, clothes, coconuts, cereals, milch cows, wood, bamboo, brass metal, and iron ore. The neighbouring kings and the zamindars would send masons and craftsmen for the temple making. Even in those days, the monument cost a whopping Rs. 40 crore!
The majestic temple stands on the southeast corner with an ancient banyan tree fringing it. The main temple has crumbled, and only the Mukhashala or Jagamohana (audience hall) stands as mute testimony of a rich heritage. At a distance of 30 feet, is the beautiful Natamandir (dancing hall). Midway was the Bajeni Mandap where the musicians played their instruments. The roofless Natamandir has a flight of steps on each side. The pillars and the platform walls are intricately carved. The dancers, both male and female, are depicted heavily ornamented, in sensuous mood and playing mridanga, flute and cymbals. |
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The morning sun shines on
a carved statue beautifully |
The wheels of the chariot-like
structure
of the sun temple
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The walls are built with laterite and khondolite stone, the idols, arches and Navagraha slab in chlorite. These stones were brought from far off places by sea and on carts pulled by the villagers who voluntarily helped. In those days there were two big rivers nearby named Prachi and Kushabhadra along which the stones were ferried to Konark.
The Sun temple, shaped like a flying chariot, was destined to be the tallest temple in Orissa, at a height of 228 feet, at least 100 feet higher than the Lingaraj temple of Bhubaneswar. Inside the main temple there was a huge throne made of chlorite where a gleaming black icon of Surya Narayan was worshipped. The sun’s first ray would fall on the throne, making it the Sunin-
the-corner, the meaning of Konark.
The Mukhashala, which rose to a height of
150 feet, remains sans its crown. There was a
massive arch, where the world’s biggest Navagraha
slab rested on an iron beam. Oriyas were
experts in metallurgy and freely used iron bars
and clamps in the
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temple. On the top was a huge 20-feet-high lion crouching on a 15-feetlong
elephant, described as Gajasimha. This sculpture was carried atop by 72 sturdy youths,
amid the chanting of artisans and throbbing of dhols and cymbals. Today the remains are
found scattered nearby. The massive monolithic iron pillar, Aruna Stambha, and the idol of
Surya Narayan have been relocated at the Jagannath temple of Puri. temple. On the top was a
huge 20-feet-high lion crouching on a 15-feetlong elephant, described as Gajasimha. This
sculpture was carried atop by 72 sturdy youths, amid the chanting of artisans and throbbing of
dhols and cymbals. Today the remains are found scattered nearby. The massive monolithic
iron pillar, Aruna Stambha, and the idol of Surya Narayan have been relocated at the
Jagannath temple of Puri.
The temple stands on a platform rising up to 13 feet. These walls are architectural wonders
and show how pliable even the hardest stone was in the hands of a skilled artisan! The highly
gifted Oriya artists had unusual calibre. Konark is an instance of craftsmanship combined with
thoughtfulness and aesthetic ability. The sculptures depict bands of elephants, kheda operations
– the art of capturing wild elephants, war horses, the king as a warrior, a host and a devotee,
sensuous women, virile men, dancers and musicians, and also reflects the life around, the
rural folk in paddy fields, and at home, cooking meals and tending to kids, and celebrating Holi.
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Intricate carvings on the
walls of the sun temple |
Intricate carvings on the
walls of the sun temple |
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There is a sculpture representing a heavily
bejewelled and crowned Jagannath seated and
flanked by Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. The
buffalo-headed demon roars in pain as Goddess
Durga pierces it with a spear. Her lion takes
a nip at the monster’s leg. The king Langula
Narasimha Deva, the builder of the temple, is
depicted in battle regalia. He also bends to
receive prasad from a priest. He has a moustache,
his hair is a neat coiffure and he is richly
bejewelled. In another panel, twelve learned
men are shown bending over a palm-leaf
manuscript. The sculptures of Konark have not
left an inch unembellished. There is a two-inch
border with a beautiful medallion of deer and
flowers and curling tendrils. The artists had
very exacting standards; there is perfect harmony
in every inch of the sculpted walls. |
The chlorite images of the Sun God placed on high steeples on the three sidewalls look magnificent. They depict the vitality and the diurnal movement of the god from dawn to dusk. On the northern wall, symbolising the rising Sun, the Sun God rides on a chariot pulled by seven robust horses. On the south, the deity is represented as the midday Sun and on the west; it is the image of the setting Sun. The main idol, which was worshipped inside the sanctum sanctorum, was in the form of Maitreya-Aditya. He was depicted holding a lotus in each hand and a crown on his head.
The temple of Konark is a massive chariot with giant wheels and horses. In the south, there are four horses and 12 giant wheels of a diameter of nine feet. In the north, there are another 12 wheels and three horses. Such a monument is not to be found in the entire world. It speaks of the high calibre of Oriya artists who sculpted these lively figures and left their indelible mark in stone for years to come and for generations to look at with awe.
The temple built as an ambitious project did not survive for long. It had a huge 2,000-ton lodestone on its filial, which made sailing ships crash on the shore, and later some invaders stole the magnet, an act that probably loosened the weak structure and hastened its collapse. The temple, located in solitude, lashed by saltladen sea breeze, was exposed to frequent lightning and thunderstorms. The profuse use of iron corroded it further and weakened the temple structure. The temple crashed and was soon abandoned. Sand storms buried it till 1801 when it was re-discovered. Efforts at conservation and its protection were taken up 100 years later. Today, even the crumbling ruins have mesmerised the world. The anecdotes of the temple making and its fall add to its intrigue. Today, the temple needs constant and special care for it is an aging legend.
Konark is not a mere item on a tourist’s itinerary. It is an experience, an example of human ingenuity and craftsmanship and a tribute to divinity in the form of nature. It is 65 km from Bhubaneswar and 35 km from Puri on the Marine Road. There is accommodation at Konark provided by the State Tourism Department.
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FACTFILE
How to Go : Deccan has daily flights to Bhubaneswar from Kolkata and regular
flights from Delhi as well. Konark is a little over an hour’s drive from Bhubaneswar.
Where to stay : Konark has a State Tourism
Department guest house. Puri, just 35 km
away is a popular beach resort and has many
hotels to suit every budget.
Surya Beach Inn, Chakratirtha Road, Puri
Hotel Sea Palace, Chakratirtha Road, Puri
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