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Konark Temple |
Konark
Konark or Konarak (Odia: 6କଣାର୍କ)(Sanskrit: कोनार्क) is a small town in Puri district of the state of Odisha (formerly Orissa), India, on the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from Bhubaneswar , famous for its 13th-century Sun Temple and the Chandrabhaga River.
Konark Temple is Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the Mandapa that remains. The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes. Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture
Konark Temple is Dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the Mandapa that remains. The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes. Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture
Location
The Konark Sun Temple is located in an eponymous village about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast of Puri and 65 kilometres (40 mi) southeast of Bhubaneswar on the Bay Of Coastline in the Indian state of Odisha. The nearest airport is Bhubaneswar (IATA: BBI). Both Puri and Bhubaneswar are major railway hubs connected by Indian Railways' Southeastern services.
History
The Konark Temple was built by King Narsingha Deva in 1250 AD to commemorate his victory over Muslims. This temple is basically dedicated to Lord Surya or the Sun God.The Konark Sun Temple is shaped like a big chariot representing the Sun God's chariot. It has 24 wheels and is pulled by seven horses.
Architecture
A Temple of Great Architectural Brilliance and a splendid blend of Architecture-Art-History, the Konark temple consists of a Vimana (main temple) intended for housing the deity, Jagamohana (hall in front of vimana) from where the worshippers could have a glimpse of the deity and a Nritya-mandapa (dancing hall), but a separate Bhoga-mandapa (offering hall) was not built at this place. Dancing and offering both were probably done in the same building. In the Orissan architecture this type of temple is known as pancha-ratha-dekha deul, as each of its facades are broken by five small projections to produce an effect of light and shade on the surface and also to create an impression of one continuous vertical line, called Rekha.
As a fact the beauty of shade and light cannot be effected on a plain surface, was known to the builders, as such, the facades were broken by a number of small projections. These projections vary from three to nine, from which they derive the names as tri-ratha (three projections), Pancha-ratha (five projections), sapta-ratha (seven projections) or nava-ratha (nine projections).
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Stone Engraved Statue |
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Konark Wheel |
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Erotic Carving In Konark |
Nearby Places to visit & Tourist Attractions.
Shree Jagannath Puri
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Aerial View of Jagannath Temple |
Distance between Puri Jagannath Temple and Konark Sun Temple. It takes 42 minutes to travel from Puri Jagannath Temple to Konark Sun Temple. Approximate driving distance between Puri Jagannath Temple and Konark Sun Temple is 35 kms or 21.7 miles.
The Shree Jagannath Dham (one Dham Out of Four Dham) of Puri is an important Hindu Temple dedicated to Jagannath, a form of Vishnu, in Puri in the State of Odisha on the eastern coast of India. The temple is an important pilgrimage destination. The present temple was rebuilt from the 10th century onwards, on the site of an earlier temple, and begun by King Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva.
Marine Drive Konark to Puri
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Marine Drive Road Covered by Trees |
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Marine Drive Road in Between Sea And wildlife Sanctuary |
Chandrabhaga Beach
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Sunset of Chandrabhaga Beach |
Astaranga Beach
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Astaranga Beach Sunset |
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Olive Ridley Crawling Towards Sea |
At a distance of 34 km from Konark, Astaranga is a stunning beach in Puri district of Odisha. Situated near the mouth of Devi River, it is one of the famous and beautiful tourist places in Konark.
It lies on the coast of Bay of Bengal and is famous for the lovely and long sandy beach. It attracts lots of visitor to enjoy the natural scenery of the beach. The sunset at Astaranga Beach is incredible for tourists. In Oriya language 'Asta 'means 'Sun set' and 'Ranga' means 'Color', So 'Astaranga' means 'Colorful Sunset'.
Known as famous fishing center of Puri, the small market sits near the beach where the fishermen sell out their catches to the waiting vendors. The crowd in the early morning consisting of the boatmen returning with their nets from the sea and the intending buyers give a perfect picture of man's co-existence with nature. The famous shrine of Pir Jahania is located near the beach.
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