Konark Sun Temple - despite the odds

Konark Sun Temple - the entrance

Konark Sun Temple

Konark is a town located in the Puri district of Orissa and is the home to the Konark Sun Temple, a World Heritage Site. Built in the 13th Century by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty, the temple is designed as a gigantic chariot supported by twenty-four chariot wheels, dedicated to the Sun/Surya God. Some other temples dedicated to Sun God include Martand in J&K, Modhera in Patan, Gujarat and Katarmal in Uttarakhand.

Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple

The Konark sun temple follows the Odissa style of temple architecture (read more on the Wikipedia page), though much of the original structure has now collapsed and it survives only in parts (the main structure seen today is only the Mandapa).

Sanjeev with the wheel

Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple

There are some interesting theories about the temple, some claim it was never completed and the construction was left mid-way and later the half-done temple turned into ruins, while others are of the opinion that it was completed in about 12 years during the reign of Narasimhadeva I. There are theories about its eventual collapse as well, the most popular being the attack by the Muslim king Kalapahad in the 16th Century.

Read here about some such theories.

Wheels at the Konark Sun Temple

Wheels at the Konark Sun Temple

Wheels at the Konark Sun Temple

Wheels at the Konark Sun Temple

Wheels at the Konark Sun Temple

The scared idol was removed in time and buried deep inside sand; some believe it is yet to be found, while others believe the Sun God idol in the National Museum of Delhi was the presiding deity at Konark. With time, different images were removed from Konark temple and placed in other temple, Puri Jagannath temple being the major beneficiary. The temple survived still, despite the odds.

Sculpture on the wheel

Carvings at the Konark Sun Temple

Dancing damsels at the Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple

We saw the temple on our second day in Konark. The temple opens up early in the morning and we were one of the first ones to get in, the fact that our hotel was so close by helped. The view was very different from what I saw in the morning, though as imposing and stunning as I had expected it to be.

The protector of the temple!

A view from the top

Another view from top

The majestic columns

Some stunning sculpture on the wall

I had never seen a temple with so much carving before and Sanjeev and I spent hours going through different sculptures and analyzing their meanings. Our favorite were, of course, the highly erotic sculptures that the place is already famous for. Some of these were straight forward, while others took quite some time to interpret; a few were too stunning to be believed! I am including a few images here.
 

Ah! the erotica!

Ah! the erotica - hand job

With small woman, or an animal

More interesting wall erotica

Almost there :)

In a group!

I guess she should be scared now!

More erotica, every column has a different sculpture

In a group again

More love on the wall

Another well endowed man!

But it’s not just the erotica which moved us; everything at the temple takes your breath away. You can even climb up and see a few portions from top as well. There are even bigger idols there, and in different stones as well. And I even found the climb up a bit adventurous, many saree clad aunties didn’t venture that far up.

Dancing damsels!

The idol on the top

More idols in top

Sculptures on the wall

This set the pace for our upcoming adventures, and there were many! We had a very hectic schedule, and surprisingly we managed to cover it all. More stunning visuals, more engrossing stories, more 'happening' adventures...all to follow soon!