An Epic in Stonehubaneswar, Puri and Konark constitute the Golden Triangle of tourism. The holy city of Puri, with its Jagannath Temple, beautiful beaches and salubrious air, is every tourist's dream. The temple city of Bhubaneswar is a blending of modernity and history. Planned to be a centre of computer software and advanced scientific research, it offers splendid architecture and sculpture, caves and carvings. The third point in the triangle is of course Konark. It has the grandest thing to offer - the world famous Sun Temple. It lies in ruins in the midst of a vast stretch of sand inspiring awe and admiration. It is indeed an epic in stone, breath-taking in its sheer scale and dimension. Today, this wonderful gem is preserved as a monument of World Heritage. Konark would have been one of the Seven Wonders of the World had it not lain in obscurity until 1902.

            Konark (lat. 19.53'N; long. 86.06'E) is a small town in Puri distrit. The Bay of Bengal is barely 4 kilometer away. It is 70 km from Bhubaneswar. The   name Konark is a variant of Konark which means the Arka (Sun) of Kona (corner), the corner being that of Trikona on the bank of the Kushabhadra. The European sailor called it the Black Pagoda because of the black tint it had acquired over years of exposure. They distinguished it from the White Pagoda which was how they described the white-washed temple of Sri Jagannath, also on the coast close at hand.

            Konark can be easily reached by road from either Bhubaneswar or Puri which are important stations on the South Eastern Railway. One can go from either place by car or bus. The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation runs luxury coaches to Puri and Konark on a one-day conducted tour. The place is accessible all the year round. October-March is the ideal time to visit Konark.

The Temple

            According to Madalapanji (Chronicle of the Jagannath temple at Puri), a temple of Konarka-deva was first built in the Arka-Kshetra by Purandara Keshari of the Keshari dynasty. Later, the temple was supported by the rulers of the Ganga dynasty. Narasimha Deva built a temple in front of an earlier temple, and made it self-sufficient with rich endowments. Following the death of Mukundaraja (1559-68 AD), the Yavanas (Muslims) took away the copper  kalasa and the crowning padmadhvaja despite having failed to dismantle the temple. Some people do not give any credence to the Madalapanji account. But historians, by and large, accept it to be substantially true. The copper plates of Narasimha Deva (circa 1238-64 AD) often mention his supreme achievement as the builder of a mahat-kutira (great cottage) of Ushnarashmi (Surya). The king named his son  Bhanu Deva which shows that he was perhaps a devout Sun-worshipper. He was popularly known as Langula  Narasimha Deva (one with a tail) presumably because of some spinal deformity he suffered from, of which he was cured through Sun-worship.

            It is said that the temple was built at a cost of twelve years' revenue. Twelve hundred workmen toiled twelve long years to complete it. There is again the fascinting story of the twelve-year-old countryboy Dharama or Dharmapada who fixed the kalasa at the top of the temple. All the workmen failed to do so despite repeated  attempts, but the spirited boy seeing his father Bisu Maharana, the chief mason,in agony and worry, did the impossible feat at midnight. Then he flung himself into the sea so that the workmen were spared humiliation and worse. It is saga of courage and sacrifice.

            The fame of this magnificent temple spread far and wide. The Vaishnava Saint Chaitanya (1486-1533) visited the place. In the A'in-i-Akbari, Abu'l-Fazl (sixteenth century) describes the temple in glowing terms. Maharaja Narasimha Deva of Khurda went to see the temple in 1628. It also attracted the  Muslims, the Marathas and the British in subsequent years. The structure gradually crumbled--thanks to desecration and plunder, not to mention the ravages of nature such as sand-drifts and saline sea-wind. The Khondalite rock of which the temple was largely built was easily corroded and split into fragments by the cruel weather.

            Serious efforts to conserve the temple started around the beginning of the twentieth century. Restoration of the temple is in progress. Today the local craftsmen can be seen chiselling out stones and carving images at the temple site. The Archaeological Survey of India looks after the construction with assistance from UNESCO.

            Konark had been buried under sand and a huge pile of debris. The clearance, which began in 1910, brought to light the splendid platform along with horses and wheels and other structures such as the bhoga mandapa and the extant portion of the Mayadevi temple. It revealed that Konark was not an isolated monument but a whole complex of  temples. First, there is the main temple which in fact is a combination of several structural elements like the chariot with the twenty-four wheels, a platform with a porch, the sanctuary and the bhoga mandapa. There was the Aruna stambha right in front which now stands at the entrance to the Jagannath temple at Puri. Then there are the Mahadevi and Vaishnava temples along with several parsva devatas. There are so many subsidiary structures as well.

            The main temple is designed as a vast chariot with twelve pairs of massive and beautiful wheels. It is pulled by a team of seven stately horses, appropriately decorated for the grand occasion giving the impression of the Sun-god emerging from behind the blue sky. It is a finest expression of the creative genius that went with the Oriya artisan.

            The huge wheels on the sides of the high platform and the east staircase are exquisitely carved. Against the sides of the staircase can be seen the galloping horses so beautifully sculptured. Each of these seems to have a symbolic meaning. The seven horses represent the seven days of the week, the twenty-four wheels suggesting the twenty-four fortnights of the Indian year. The eight spokes on the wheels stand for the eight pahars into which the day and night were divided. The three-tier pyramidal structure, one shelf above another, had the amalaka finial spire at the top. It was suggestive of the progressive ascent to heaven.

            As has been said already, the temple somewhat looks like a chariot. But the similarity ends here. The rest of the edifice is just like any other Orissan temple. It has a deul (sanctuary) and a jagamohana (porch) with all elaborate designs on them.

            The sanctuary is a rekha deul with a curvi-linear tower while the porch (jagamohana) is a pidha deul. The latter has a roof of horizontal stages. Both are built on the same platform. Its interior is square in structure. The exterior has irregular projections in keeping with the pancha ratha plan in Orissan silpasastras. The temples are conceived in terms of the human body. Some of the parts are named after human limbs. So there are names like gandi (trunk), mastaka (head), pabhaga (foot), jangha (shin), beka (neck) and khapuri (skull). some of these have further sub-divisions. Rekha deul has been seen as a male temple and pidha deul as a female one. In front of the eastern staircase of the porch (mukhashala) lies the bhoga mandapa (hall of offering) with pillars on it. There is an open space between the porch and the bhoga mandapa. Many believe that is in fact nata mandira (dancing or festive hall) because of carvings of music and dance all over the place.

            Three different types of stone were used. Chlorite was used in the door-frame while laterite was used in the foundation, staircase and the centre of the platform. Khondalite, the most usual kind, was used elsewhere. It is of poor quality. Since none of these are available in the locality, they had to be carried from distant places with great ingenuity and effort. One may well imagine the mode of transportation from a panel illustration on the Siddha Mahavir temple near Puri.

            The stones were smoothly finished and then fitted together. They were laid horizontally, placed one upon another, and joined together with iron cramps and dowels. The workmanship was so perfect that the joints could hardly be seen. Designs were carved on them only after that.

            The building of the temple was a tough job for Sibei Santra, the architect. 1200 workmen laboured hard to lay the foundation and raise the structure. But all their efforts ended in failure. Sad and weary, he wandered on the beach. After a while he sat down to rest and, soon enough, fell into a sleep. Waking, he found an old woman offering him a plate of steaming porridge. The hungry man dipped his fingers into the centre of the plate and burned them. She chided him saying, "My son, you eat the hot porridge the way Sibei Santra builds the temple. You shouldn't start in the centre like he throws his stones right in the middle. Start from the edge instead." Sibei Santra went home a wiser man and built the temple all over again.

Art and Sculpture : Style and Themes

            Sculptors and artisans have adorned the outer walls of the majestic temple, from the base to the top, with well marked sculptures and fine carvings. The dead stone comes alive with the breath and finer spirit of gods and angels, men and mythical beings. The foliage and animals, like the abstract designs themselves, are living things as it were. It is said that the artisans "built like Titans and finished like jewellers." The vigour and delicacy of the art, instead of dominating the structure, enhance its beauty and epic grandeur.

            Dr Charles Fabri, the famous art historian, emphasises the uniqueness of the Konark art style. He says that all Indian sculpture, "with the rarest exception", was relievo structure, and not "in the round". The former is one which rises slightly in relief from a background. The back of figure cannot be seen. It is much like a painting. The latter,  on the other hand, can be seen from every side. Konark art is "one of the rarest exceptions" which is three-dimensional. Secondly, as Dr. Fabri points out, the baroque turned it rococo by the end of the twelfth century. The baroque art celebrates the beauty and grace of the human figure-both male and female. In rococo art, female nudes and love scenes are replaced by the jewellery, floral and animal ornaments. Konark keeps up the baroque tradition.

            The figures vibrate with life. Dynamism and plasticity mark them everywhere. Of the thousand of figures, only the three bronzes  of the Sun-god are in repose. The sun is at its glorious best at sunrise, noon and sunset. Then it blazes like a wheel of fire and all at once the figures start sparkling. The lovers are in the act of intense love-making. Horses and elephants, lions and tigers seem to have amazing strength and agility. The other themes centre upon deities, musician-nymphs, birds, beasts, aquatic animals, indolent damsels, royal hunts, processions and military  scenes. The daily life of the common people rarely finds a place.

            No visitor will fail to notice the frank and daring expression of sexual love. Here is voluptuousness with abandon. One recalls the erotic figures on the Khajuraho temple. There is, however, a difference. In Khajuraho erotic scenes are rarely higher than half a meter. One needs a pair of binoculars to take a close look. In Konark apart from friezes which are explicitly sensual in character, bigger than life-size couples indulge in uninhibited sexual acts. Tantric doctrine and rituals might have influenced the sculptures, as some would say. There are some others who say that the sun itself warms all life - the holy as well as the profane. And as one goes up the temple, the sculptures look gradually calmer. And soon enough, the heavenly musicians start spreading charm and bliss. Some believe the sensual figures are meant to test the devotees. However, Dr. Debala Mitra, the noted archaeologist, dismisses " such modern pseudo-spiritual explanations" out of hand.

            The Konark art has no doubt great religious significance. It has, at the same time, a secular character. The joy of life in all its physical aspects is resplendent everywhere. The artist has depicted all the rasas (sentiments) including shringara (erotics). The tradition of art until the thirteenth century was known for its assertion of the principle of life. Not surprisingly, therefore, the dancers and musicians with their zest for life form the most recurring theme.

            The sculptures and carvings have a wide range and complexity in subject as well as in style. Some are superb while some others are simply mediocre. In a project of such magnitude, hundreds worked at the same time not all of whom had the same calibre and skill. Perhaps the mature artisans finished the important sculptures while their apprentices produced the others. The structures therefore differed in style and quality.

More About
Konark

Official Web Site of Sun Temple Konark