Gods. The sun temple is rare cause it is dedicated to the sun God, Surya and
such temples are very few are could be counted on fingers. But the appeal of
the temple lies in its architecture and sculptures that embellish its
beauty. The temple is built to serve the
Sun God who is always represented on his unending journey on his chariot, hence
the whole temple is constructed in the form of a chariot with seven horses tied
drawing the chariot, which represent the seven days of the week and 24 wheels
of the chariot, representing the 24 fortnights that form an year. Since a month
is divided (according to hindu calender) into two ‘pakshas’ or fortnights. The
walls of the temple are adorned with surya in his infant, youth and adult
stages representing the sun at different times of the day. Before I go any
further in describing the incredible beauty of the temple I would like to start
with us arriving at Konark.
Our taxi driver left us at the mouth of a narrow lane much
narrowed by the tightly knit stalls on either side. As soon as we elighted the
vehicle auto rickshaw drivers surrounded us offering to take us to the booking
counter of the Sun temple where no four wheelers are allowed, for just a
minimum price of 30/-. Though it would have relived us of a walk in the hot
sun, we preferred to do some window shopping of what’s on display so we decided
to walk down the lane. It was a good idea too, we found out that cashew nuts
are cheaper in this parts and are only 300/- per kg. It was a steal but beware
some cashews may have little worms in them so break the cashew before you eat,
what I did is as soon as I reached home I broke all the cashews and slow
roasted them, that way they will not be spoiled. Anyways back to Konak,... At
the end of the lane we were faced with a ‘Navagraha temple’ sign on the other
side of the road, wondering if this was the entrance to the sun temple we asked
a local vendor. He immediately pointed to the left, to a much bigger
entrance gate where people were chatting
excitedly, indulging in a quick cooldrink or a nibble before entering the
temple. There is an entrance fee of Rs5/- per adult (which may vary if you are
a foreigner), still camera’s are allowed freely while video camera’s are
charged Rs 25/-. We also booked a govt. Recognised guide for Rs150/- who
explained the construction, architectural design of the temple, kings who ruled
and patronized the temple and so on... One thing he said was that the king who
commissioned the building of this temple has a TAIL. 
Caught your attention didn’t I, well I was also curious at
this statement but turns out the story is not that fascinating. The king of
Konark suffered from an elongated spine which caused him great discomfort, he
was unable to sit, stand straight or perform any chores that are expected of
him as a king and a husband to add to this humiliation his people started
calling it a tail. When the king consulted his royal priests they suggested
that he should appease the Sun God and receive his blessing, so began the
construction of the Sun temple.
Like many temples in Orissa, the Sun temple of Konark
follows the kalingan school of architecture which commands any temple should
have a inner sanctum or vimana and a outer hall or jahamohana for yagnas and
yagas to be performed. According to tradition the shikara of the inner sanctum
is raised cylindrically while the shikara of the outer hall is in the form of a
stepped pyramid. The inner sanctum which should contain the reigning deity is
razed by Jahangir’s troops and is now empty but the outer hall still remains
tall. Pujas have not been performed in the temple for many decades hence it is
more of a historical ruin than a holy place of worship. But still the temple is
a awe inspiring sight with its majestically shikaras raising to towards the
sky. Huge steps lead up to the temple entrance which is constructed on an
elevated platform of about 12ft high. On the walls of this raised platform is
where all the artistic geniuses of the time worked to chisel immensely
beautiful sculptures, the 12 pairs of wheels. Each stone of granite is
painstakingly sculptured and transformed from boring granite to beautifully
voluptuous women caught on different chores of their daily life. The ‘Natya
Mandir’, opposite the temple is also on an elevated platform, where dances are
performed in honour of the Gods. The Natya Mandapa holds four stout square
pillars all of which are adorned with dancing nymphs in various postures.
Temple of Sandhya (Surya's wife)
Konark is also talked
about, for its erotic sculptures next to the temples of Kajuraho, but it has
more wealth of history to offer to the beholder. A day in the life of the queen
is represented on one of the wheels of the temple, while in another region
aptly capture the life of a commoner. There are carvings that show us how these
huge granite stones are brought in from different parts of the kingdom and how
the whole family of the artisan travelled along with the stones cooking,
cleaning, raising kids and living life on the road. While another part of the
temple wall depicts the great pomp and celebration that escorted the king in
all his grandeur while he was leaving for a hunt. Another stretch of sculptures
show us how traps are used to capture elephants. There are also depictions of
how the rocks are pulled on logs and carried to such heights to make the temple
the magnificient structure that we see today. A trip to Konark will be the highlight
of your journey and a jewel of an experience in your life. 
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