KONARK SUN TEMPLE

             Konark ....an excellent marvel of Art and sculpture

                     सर्वदेवात्मको ह्येष तेजस्वी रश्मिभावनः।              

   एष देवासुरगणाँल्लोकान् पाति गभस्तिभिः॥ 

(He has within him all the devas and he's the brilliant  among the bright, he's self-luminous and sustains all worlds of Devas and Asuras together with his rays).

sun god

 The temples of India are unique for its rich architecture and therefore the interesting legends behind them. From devotees to travellers, these temples see a rush of individuals from every a part of the planet. The Konark Sun Temple is one such wonder which you'd find interesting.

stone wheel

Konark sun temple is also known as Konaditya. 

The temple was built on the shore of the ocean But as time gone by ,the sea was backed thanks to some environmental effects and at the present, the temple stands few kilometres far away from the beach.

 The name Konark springs form the words Kana -Corner and Arka -Sun; it's situated on the northeastern corner of Puri or the Chakrakshetra. Konark is also known as Arkakshetra. As the name suggests, the temple worships Surya (the Sun God). Shaped sort of a giant chariot, the temple is understood for the exquisite stone carvings that cover the whole structure.

 According to local legend, the temple features a great aura of power that comes from two very powerful magnets said to possess been built into the tower -magnets that allowed the king's throne to hover in mid-air. The entire Sun temple is built in black granite and is also known as the Black Pagoda.

 The temple was built by King Narasimhadeva I who belonged to the Ganga dynasty that ruled Konark from the amount of 1236 to 1264 AD. The temple has earned the pride of being WORLD HERITAGE SITES  This is thanks to the unique style of architecture of the temple, which is totally made out of stone and comprises fine stone carvings. 

The entire temple is formed within the sort of a stone chariot, which symbolizes the carrier of the Sun God. There are seven horses pulling this chariot which represent the seven days of the week.Some people even say that these sevenhorses represent the seven colors of the sunlight(violet,indigo,blue,green,yellow, orange and red).Some even mention that these represent the sevenchakras of the human(muladhara, swadhisthana,manipura,anahata,vishuddha,agna andsahasrara). 

the seven horses of the Surya are

1.  Gayathri,
2. Bruhathi,
3. Ushnik,
4. Jagathi
5.  Dhrushtup
6. Anushtup 
7.  Bhakthi.

horse of the stone chariot

This chariot comprises of Twelve magnificent stone wheels and is drawn by seven fine horses.This chariot is that the highlight of the temple and has maximum carving and artistic finesse. 
The chariot almost seems real and charms every visitor 

The science behind the construction

 A massive magnet was placed at the temple on top and each two stones of the temple are inserting by iron plates. The idol was said to have been floating in air due to the arrangement of magnets. The distinctive arrangement of the main magnet combined with the other magnets caused the main idol of the temple to float in air

How to reach Konark Sun Temple

Konark Sun Temple is situated in Konark, a town in the district of Puri in Odisha. It is approximately 60 km from the capital Bhubaneswar and 35 km from Puri. Konark is a famous tourist destination owing to the Sun Temple and thus it is well-connected to Puri and Bhubaneswar by trains, buses and taxis. The easiest way, however, to reach Konark is to rent a cab from Puri.

The temple is open on all days.

Nearest Bus Stand to Konark Sun Temple:

1. Konark Bus Stand is SIX minutes from the Sun Temple. 
2. You can board a bus from Puri and reach Konark in an hour.
3.  OSRTC and private operators provide bus service from Puri to Konark.