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The Sun Temple of Konark is located in the town of Konark in Puri district of Orissa. This magnificent temple is dedicated to the Sun God and is a popular pilgrimage site in India. This Sun Temple was built by King Narasimhadeva in the 13th century. This temple is known worldwide for its distinctive shape and sculpture. Even after 750 years of its construction, Surya Mandir makes everyone speechless with its uniqueness, grandeur and artistic grandeur. This temple is also included in the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Sun Temple of Konark is built on the north eastern side of Puri, close to the beach. This temple is built in the shape of a huge chariot. Hence it is also known as the Lord's Chariot Temple.
This temple was built with red sandstone and black granite stone in 1236- 1264 BC. It was built by Narasimhadeva, the king of the Ganga dynasty. This temple is one of the most famous sites in India. Built in the Kalinga style, this temple is built in the form of a chariot of the Sun God. It has been made very beautiful by excellent carving on the stone. The entire temple site is built in the form of a chariot of the Sun God, drawn by seven horses, consisting of twelve pairs of chakras. As per Hindu belief, there are twelve pairs of wheels in the chariot of the sun god and 7 horses are engaged in pulling the chariot. In the middle of the 16th century, the Mughal invader Kalapahar damaged its amalgam and ruined many idols, due to which the temple was abandoned. This neglect caused it to erode. Some scholars attribute the cause of the demolition of the main temple to defects in its spaciousness and design. Which started getting sunk due to being in the sandy land, but there is no opinion about it.
Main temple is made up of 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 Indian independence, and closed all the gates permanently, so that the temple could not be damaged further.
On its entry, two lions are shown to be ready in defense, being aggressive on elephants. It is probably a symbol of the dominance of the then Brahmin lions in the form of Buddhist elephants. Both elephants are set on top of each human. These statues are made of the same stone. They are 8.4 feet long, 4.9 feet wide and 92 feet high by 28 tons. The southern part of the temple consists of two well-equipped horses, which have been adopted by the Government of Odisha as its emblem. They are 10 feet long and 7 feet wide. There is a Nat temple at the entrance of it.
This is the place where the dancers of the temple danced to offer to Suryadev. Throughout the temple, there are carvings of flower-bells and geometric patterns. Along with these, the figures of human, god, gandharva, eunuch etc. are also depicted in andri postures. His postures are sensual and derived from Kamasutra. The temple is now partially converted into ruins. A collection of artifacts here is preserved in the Sun Temple Museum of the Archaeological Survey of India.
Actually, this temple is a sacred place, which is 229 feet (70 m) high. Due to being so high and the aircraft fell there in 1837, the temple also suffered some damage. There is also a Jagmohan Hall in the temple which is approximately 128 feet (30 m) long, and even today it is the same as the hall.
According to the Bhavishya Purana and the Samba Purana, there was another Sun Temple in this area besides this temple, which was visited in the 9th century or so. In these books, Sun Temple is also mentioned in Mundira (Konark), Kalapriya (Mathura) and Multan.
Story related to Konark Sun Temple :-According to the legend, Lord Krishna's son Samba had once treated Narada Muni with extreme indecency, due to which he was cursed by Narada ji for having leprosy (leprosy). At the same time, to avoid this curse, Samba, son of Shri Krishna, did the harsh penance of Surya, the troubleshooter god, for about 12 years near Mitravan on the banks of river Chandrabhaga.
Thereafter, one day while Samba was bathing in the Chandrabhaga river, he found an idol of Lord Surya Dev in the water, after which he installed this idol at this place, where today it became the world famous Konark Sun Temple. happen. Suryadev is considered the destroyer of all diseases.
Intersting facts about konark temple :-
1). It is the opinion of many historians that due to the premature death of King Langul Narasimhadeva, the builder of the Konark temple, the construction work of the temple was incomplete. Due to this, the unfinished structure collapsed. But this view is not supported by historical figures.
2). The sculptures made here depict work and sex with great beauty. The sculptures here are shown to enjoy sexual pleasure to the fullest. These idols are confined outside the temple. The reason behind doing this is that whenever someone goes to the sanctum sanctorum the temple, they come to leave all kinds of worldly pleasures and temptations outside the temple.
3.) During the religious festivals in different provinces of mythical India, in the procession, the idols were punished on a wooden chariot and carried among the devotees. That is why it is believed that this temple of the Sun must have been given the form of a chariot.
4). Each 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.
5). In this temple, even today, as soon as night was over, the chimes of the souls dancing were heard.
6). A heavy magnet has been installed 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 the people.
