Konark Sun Temple Odisha History and Interesting Facts

Konark Sun Temple Quick Facts

Konark Sun Temple Overview

Konark Sun Temple, located in the Puri district of the Indian state of Odisha, is one of the selected Sun Temples in the country. Dedicated to Lord Sun God, this temple is famous in the world for its amazing architecture. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984. Every year lakhs of tourists come to visit this magnificent temple located in Puri, Odisha.

Konark Sun Temple History

This grand was built by King Narasimha Dev of the Ganga dynasty during the 13th century (1236-1264 AD). It is believed that the Emperor of Ganga Vash fought a major battle with the Muslim Empire in which the Muslim rulers were defeated and King Nar Singhdev built the Konark Sun Temple as a victory monument to commemorate the joy of his victory.

During the 15th century, when Muslim army looted, the temple priests took the idol of the Sun God installed here and kept it safe in Puri, but the whole temple was badly damaged. After this gradually sand started accumulating on the temple and it was completely covered with sand.

The Sun Temple was discovered during the restoration under British rule in the 20th century. In the middle of the 20th century it was placed under the Archaeological Survey of India. The ancient main temple was built in three mandapas, but two of these mandapas have collapsed. In the third pavilion where the idol was installed, the British had made all the gates permanently closed by filling sand and stone before Indian Independence.

The word Konark is derived from the combination of the words 'Kona' and 'Arka'. Angle refers to the corner or edge, while Ark means the sun.

Konark Sun Temple Interesting Facts

1. The word Konark is derived from two Sanskrit words, which means angle meaning corner and Arka meaning sun.
2. Konark Sun Temple is considered to be the third link of the Golden Triangle of Odisha which includes Jagannath Temple in Puri and Lingaraja Temple in Bhubaneswar.
3. This Temple, famous all over the world for its architecture, is located in Puri district, only 65 kilometers from the capital of Orissa, Bhubaneswar.
4. Built in the 13th century, this grand temple was built by 200 Architects and it took 28 years to build it.
5. The Total height of this grand temple is 69.7992 meters (229 feet).
6. Konark Sun Temple has been included as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And this temple complex is covered over about 26 acres of land.
7. Red-colored sandstone and black granite stones have been used to build the present temple.
8. This Temple was built in the form of a chariot, it has 24 beautiful wheels, on which Lord Surya Dev is shown seated. Each wheel of the chariot is about 10 feet wide and the chariot is being pulled by 7 mighty horses. But at present only one horse is left out of the seven.
9. The wheels in the chariot of the temple are made in the form of a sun clock, which is designed like the current clocks.
10. There are two horses in the southern part of the temple, which has also been chosen by the state government as its emblem.
11. Konark Sun Temple is also known as 'Black Pagoda' in English.
12. There is a Nat Mandir near the entrance of the temple. This is the place where the dancers of the temple used to dance to please the Sun God.
13. The Idol of the Sun God was placed inside the temple in such a way that the first rays of the rising sun fell on it. With whose light the whole temple was lit up.
14. Beautiful carvings of flower bells and geometric patterns have been done at places inside the temple. Along with these, beautiful pictures of humans, gods, Gandharvas, kindness etc. have also been displayed in sensory postures.
15. This Temple is a unique example of ancient Oriya Architecture.