A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sun Temple in the

form of a grand celestial chariot is an architectural and

sculptural marvel. Did you know that the spokes of the
famous wheels on which the chariot is mounted are
believed to have served as sundials? (Photo source:
Wikimedia Commons)

Few temples in India possess the grandeur of the Sun

Temple of Konark, Odisha. What makes this monument
stand out, however, is not just its architectural form, in that
it is conceived and realized entirely in the semblance of a
celestial chariot carrying Surya, the Sun God, but its close
adherence to the stylistic precepts of Kalingan architecture,
the style that flourished in the ancient region of Kalinga,
covering modern-day Odisha, parts of West Bengal and
north-eastern Andhra Pradesh.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, this

magnificent tribute to the Sun God is a 13th-century late-
style Kalingan temple, now situated in the town of Konark,
north east of the coastal city of Puri in Odisha. Originally
built on the shoreline of the Bay of Bengal, at a site also
known as Arka Kshetra ('sun realm'), the temple is now far
from the sea. It was the capstone of the reign of the king of
the Eastern Ganga dynasty, Narasimhadeva I (r. 1238–64
CE), representing the culmination of the third-period style
of Kalingan temple architecture.

The massive chariot has been carved as if mounted on 24

wheels, each about 10 feet high, and drawn by seven large
horses. The name Konark is said by some to derive
from kona, corner, and arka, sun, and to refer to the images
of the Sun God on the three sides of the structure; each in
turn catches the rays of the sun when it rises, when it is
overhead at noon, and when it sets. This narrative strength
of the sculptures, the magnificent erotic images, and their
representational quality are what make the temple unique.

Inception

According to copper plate inscriptions, Narasimhadeva

I built the temple to fulfil the vow by his predecessor
Anangabhima III (r. 1211–38) to expand the famed
Jagannatha temple of Puri, which again was built by their
ancestor, Chodaganga (r. 1077–1150).

The numerous sculptures, especially those depicting war

scenes and the activities of the king, suggest that the temple
was also intended to proclaim the glory of the Ganga
dynasty, and to celebrate Narasimhadeva's military triumph
over Tughral Tugan Khan of Bengal as well as his
patronage of the arts.

Installation

The temple was completed in 12 years, over 1243–55 CE,

with around 1200 artisans employed at the expense of the
exchequer, actuated by the royal officer, Siva Samataraya
Mahapatra. Incorporated in all aspects of the temple was
the principle of the personification of the divinity as
represented by Surya, whose cult was then prevalent.

Decline

The temple remained under worship for only a short period.

According to some oral traditions, it was damaged during
the invasion by Kalapahar, general of the sultan of Bengal,
in the 16th century. It is said that the raiders were unable to
raze the colossal temple to the ground, but managed to
remove the kalasa (urn), rendering the temple unfit for
worship. However, K.S. Behera notes that the Odia
Mahabharata by Sarala Das, written a century earlier, refers
to a sage's curse having caused the damage to the temple.

Further collapse and physical decline have been imputed to

continued raids, structural flaws (such as soil
incompatibility and unsuitability of stones used), and
weathering. The compromised structure collapsed
completely in 1837.

Plate 3 from James Fergusson's 'Ancient Architecture in

Hindoostan'. The Sun Temple at Konark is one of the most
famous of India's temples and considered a great example
of Odiya architecture (Photo Source: The British Library
Board, courtesy Swathi Gopalakrishnan)

Legends and Myths

Tragedy of Dharmapada: Architect Bisu Maharana,
confounded by the challenge of mounting the crowning
stone but faced with an impossible ultimatum, was forced
to take help from his 12-year-old son Dharmapada, who
had become a master of the Odiya art. Dharmapada is said
to have then leapt to his death to save his illustrious father
from ignominy.

Legend of Samba: Samba, the son of Krishna, was

afflicted by leprosy due to a curse. After 12 years of
penance, he was cured by Surya, in whose honour he then
built this temple.

Architecture

Materials

Three types of stone were used in the structure—chlorite,

laterite and the greenish khondalite. The stones were fully
finished, polished and fitted together using iron cramps and
dowels, so that the joinery was almost invisible. Two
magnets held together the entire structure.

Layout and Plan

The Sun Temple complex comprises the spatial units of the

Natamandapa (dance hall), Jagamohana (frontal porch) and
the Rekha Deul (sanctum), arranged along the east–west
axis. The Rekha Deul-Jagamohana complex forms the
chariot, while the common plinth or pista forms the matrix
on which the wheels and horses of the chariot are carved.
The Natamandapa stands apart.

Also within the complex are two minor temples dedicated

to Mayadevi (formerly to Surya) and Narayana, and what is
said to be a bhogamandapa, or refectory for communal
meals.

Features shared by the three primary edifices are the square

plan and pancharataka, a five-stepped projection from the
centre of each side to either edge. Also common to the
three edifices is a tripartite elevation—a plinth, chamber
walls and a roof (curvilinear in the former and pyramidal in
the latter).
Plan of the Konark Sun Temple as depicted by Percy Brown
(Photo courtesy Swathi Gopalakrishnan)
Conjectural sketch of the Konark Sun Temple by Percy
Brown (Photo courtesy Swathi Gopalakrishnan)

The Rekha Deul is the largest structure in the temple

complex, and was the tallest at a height of 70 m. Along its
three sides are subsidiary shrines with life-sized chlorite
sculptures of Surya, reached by three flights of stairs. The
Dikpalas, or guardians of the eight directions, are recessed
into niches on the upper registers. In the interior, a flight of
steps leads down to the sanctum, which contains a single
pedestal in the centre bereft of the presiding deity, but
carved at the base with the image of the supplicating king .
The Jagmohana is the 100-foot high frontal porch or
assembly hall, facing three successively receding tiers, the
terraces between each containing statuary groups of
musicians. The three sides are punctuated by ornately
carved doorways and three flights of carved staircases, all
with monumental images of horses and/or elephants. Set
into the plinth are 24 heavily ornamented wheels, 12 on
each side, while along the principal (eastern) staircase are
the horses.

The Natamandapa forms the easternmost edifice, of which

only the pillars of the corbelled roof remain. The pillars,
plinth and staircase are intricately carved, with reliefs of
dancers and maithunas (coupling men and women). Of
symbolic significance is the pair of
monumental gajasimha ('elephant-lion') sculptures
adorning the head of the principal eastern staircase,
showing a lion crushing an elephant holding a man.
A view of Jagamohana from the Konark Temple’s
Natmandapa (Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons)
A close-up view of one of the famous wheels on which the
chariot is mounted (Photo Source: Nandana Pal
Chowdhury/Wikimedia Commons)

Sculpture

Most of the sculptural reliefs are arranged in bands, friezes

and panels around the plinth and walls, while surface
ornamentation (foliation and lotus motifs) can be found
around the doorways and roof recesses. The larger
sculptures are found predominantly along the stairways.
Recurring sculptural themes include scenes of royal life and
military crusades; images of animals, mythical and semi-
human figures; and kanyas (female figures), demi-gods and
gods. The famous erotic sculptures form a continuous band
around the plinth and the walls.

The Sun Temple at Konark, Odisha, forms the third point of

the golden triangle of the East, with Puri and Bhubaneswar
making up the other two (Photo Source:
Antoniraj/Wikimedia Commons)
Symbolism

The seven horses are thought to represent the seven days of

the week and the 12 wheels, the 12 months of the year. The
gajasimha sculptures at the entrance of the Natamandapa
are probably an allegorical reference to the ruinous fate of
those who succumb to greed and pride.

The erotic imagery displayed in the second level of the

temple is attributed variously to Brahmanism and tantric
belief systems; and a formal programme of repopulation
following the devastating Kalinga wars, through the arousal
of sexual interest.

Current Status

With only the Jagamohana fully intact, other extant

structures are the plinths and lower walls of the Rekha
Deul, and some of the pillars in the Natamandapa. The
subsidiary temples and refectory are merely skeletal.

Much of the freestanding statuary and loose stones and

panels have been removed to the Konark Museum (within
the same compound), and the National Museum in Delhi.
The Aruna Stambha, originally in front of the main
staircase, is now installed in the Puri Jagannath temple.
As a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Konark
temple complex is protected under the National Framework
of India by the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological
Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act (1958) and its Rules
(1959). It also falls under the conservational purview of the
Archaeological Survey of India.

On the Indian Currency Note

The Rs 10 banknote, which was announced by the Reserve

Bank of India on January 5, 2018, features one of
the intricately carved wheels of the Sun Temple on the
reverse. (Additional reading: India's ‘Monumental’
Currency Notes: Travel the Country on Banknotes)

Fairs and Festivals

On the seventh day of Magha (January–February) crowds

of people descend on Konark to take pre-dawn purification
dips in a pool, a vestige of the Chandrabhaga river. A fair
accompanies this ritual congregation.

One of the biggest dance festivals in Odisha, the five-day

Konark Dance Festival, is held in December against the
backdrop of the Sun Temple.