Konark is a medium town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from the capital of the state, Bhubaneswar. It is the site of the 13th-century

Sun Temple A sun temple (or solar temple) is a building used for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, dedicated to the sun or a solar deity. Such temples were built by a number different cultures and are distributed around the ...

, also known as the ''Black Pagoda'', built in black granite during the reign of Narasinghadeva-I. The temple is a World Heritage Site. The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. Konark is also home to an annual dance festival called

Konark Dance Festival Konark Dance Festival is a five-day dance festival held every year in the month of December mostly from 1 to 5 in backdrop of the Sun temple in Konark, Odisha in India. It is one of the biggest dance festivals held in Odisha. The exquisite 'Sa ...

, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Odisha, Odissi. In February 2019, the Konark Dance Festival (now called Konark Music and Dance Festival) will be hosting its 33rd edition. The state government is also organising annual Konark Festival and International Sand Art Festival at Chandrabhaga Beach of Konark. On 16 February 1980, Konark lay directly on the path of a total

solar eclipse A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, thereby obscuring the view of the Sun from a small part of the Earth, totally or partially. Such an alignment occurs during an eclipse season, approximately every six month ...

Etymology

The name ''Konârka'' is derived from the Sanskrit word ''Kona'' (meaning ''angle'') and word ''Arka'' (meaning ''sun'') in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

The Sun Temple

The Sun Temple was built in the 13th century and designed as a gigantic chariot of the

Sun God A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

, Surya, with twelve pairs of ornamented wheels pulled by seven horses. Some of the wheels are 3 metres wide. Only six of the seven horse still stand today. The temple fell into disuse after an envoy of

Jahangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

desecrated the temple in the early 17th century. According to folklore, there was a diamond in the centre of the idol which reflected the sun rays that passed. In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda took the Sun idol from Konark to the Jagannath temple in Puri. The Sun temple belongs to the Kalingan school of Indian temple architecture. The alignment of the Sun Temple is along the east–west direction. The inner sanctum or ''vimana'' used to be surmounted by a tower or ''shikara'' but it was razed in the 19th century. The audience hall or ''jagamohana'' still stands and comprises majority of the ruins. The roof of the dance hall or ''natmandir'' has fallen off. It stands at the eastern end of the ruins on a raised platform.

History

In 1559, Mukunda Gajapati came to throne in Cuttack. He aligned himself as an ally of

Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

and an enemy of the Sultan of Bengal,

Sulaiman Khan Karrani Sulaiman Khan Karrani ( bn, সুলায়মান খান কররানী, fa, ; reigned: 1565–1572) was a Sultan of Bengal. He ascended to the throne after the death of his brother Taj Khan Karrani. According to the ''Riyaz-us-Sala ...

. After a few battles, Odisha finally fell. The fall was also aided by the internal turmoil of the state. In 1568, the Konark temple was damaged by the army of

Kalapahad Kalapahar ( bn, কালাপাহাড়; died 24 April 1583), also known by his daak naam Raju ( bn, রাজু), was a military general of the Sultanate of Bengal under the Karrani dynasty. He is credited for conquering Orissa, which re ...

, a general of the Sultan. Kalapahad is also said to be responsible for damages to several other temples during the conquest.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Konark had a population of 16,779. Males constitute 8,654 (52%) of the population and females 8,125 (48%).As of 2001 Census Konark has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 64%, and female literacy is 49%. In Konark, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Tourism

Attractions in Konark

* Konark temple: listed as one of the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO, the temples of Konark are the main attractions, providing a glimpse into the finest achievement of a lost masonry style. *

Chandrabhaga beach Chandrabhaga Beach is situated three km east of the Sun temple of Konark, in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It is 30 km from the city of Puri. Formerly Chandrabhaga was considered a place of natural cure for lepers. C ...

: one of the cleanest and most beautiful beaches in Odisha, it is the place of action for a lot of the legends behind Konark. * Sun Temple Museum: run by the Archaeological Survey of India, the museum houses many of the artefacts from the temple.

Reaching Konark

Konark can be reached via a number of routes: # Reach Bhubaneswar either by Flight or Train, and then take a bus or a taxi to Konark (64 km from Bhubaneswar). # Reach Puri by Train (Puri is well-connected to the rest of India), and then take a bus or a taxi to Konark (34 km from Puri).

Photo gallery

File:Plan-temple-konarak.png, Original structure. Existing structure is in the dark. File:Sun temple - 12.jpg, Image of Lord Surya, riding a horse File:Konark3.jpg, Temple Arts File:Konark4.jpg, Temple Arts File:Konark5.jpg, Temple Arts File:Konark6.jpg, Temple Arts File:Konark7.jpg, Temple Arts Konark Temple at Night

Notes and references

External links

Konark, World Heritage Site, UNESCO

Konark (Official Site), Tourism Department, Government of Odisha
* . {{Authority control Tourism in Odisha Cities and towns in Puri district Hindu holy cities Hindu pilgrimage sites in India Puri district