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 Konark
The magnificent Sun
Temple at Konark is
the culmination of
Orissan temple
architecture, and
one of the most
stunning monuments
of religious
architecture in the
world. The poet
Rabindranath Tagore
said of Konark that
'here the language
of stone surpasses
the language of
man', and it is true
that the experience
of Konark is
impossible to
translate into
words.
The massive
structure, now in
ruins, sits in
solitary splendour
surrounded by
drifting sand. Today
it is located two
kilometers from the
sea, but originally
the ocean came
almost up to its
base. Until fairly
recent times, in
fact, the temple was
close enough to the
shore to be used as
a navigational point
by European sailors,
who referred to it
as the 'Black
Pagoda'.
Built by King
Narasimhadeva in the
thirteenth century,
the entire temple
was designed in the
shape of a colossal
chariot, carrying
the sun god, Surya,
across the heavens.
Surya has been a
popular deity in
India since the
Vedic period and the
following passages
occur in a prayer to
him in the Rig Veda,
the earliest of
sacred religious
text:
"Aloft his beams now
bring the good, Who
knows all creatures
that are born, That
all may look upon
the Sun. The seven
bay mares that draw
thy car, Bring thee
to us, far-seeing
good, O Surya of the
gleaming hair.
Athwart in darkness
gazing up, to him
the higher light, we
now Have soared to
Surya, the god Among
gods, the highest
light."
So the image of the
sun god traversing
the heavens in his
divine chariot,
drawn by seven
horses, is an
ancient one. It is
an image, in fact,
which came to India
with the Aryans, and
its original
Babylonian and
Iranian source is
echoed in the boots
that Surya images,
alone among Indian
deities, always
wear.
The idea of building
an entire temple in
the shape of a
chariot, however, is
not an ancient one,
and, indeed, was a
breathtakingly
creative concept.
Equally breathtaking
was the scale of the
temple which even
today, in its ruined
state, makes one
gasp at first sight.
Construction of the
huge edifice is said
to have taken 12
years revenues of
the kingdom.
 The
main tower, which is
now collapsed,
originally followed
the same general
form as the towers
of the Lingaraja and
Jagannath temples.
Its height, however,
exceeded both of
them, soaring to 227
feet. The jagmohana
(porch) structure
itself exceeded 120
feet in height. Both
tower and porch are
built on high
platforms, around
which are the 24
giant stone wheels
of the chariot. The
wheels are
exquisite, and in
themselves provide
eloquent testimony
to the genius of
Orissa's sculptural
tradition.
At the base of the
collapsed tower were
three subsidiary
shrines, which had
steps leading to the
Surya images. The
third major
component of the
temple complex was
the detached
natamandira (hall of
dance), which
remains in front of
the temple. Of the
22 subsidiary
temples which once
stood within the
enclosure, two
remain (to the west
of the tower): the
Vaishnava Temple and
the Mayadevi Temple.
At either side of
the main temple are
colossal figures of
royal elephants and
royal horses.
Just why this
amazing structure
was built here is a
mystery. Konark was
an important port
from early times,
and was known to the
geographer Ptolemy
in the second
century AD. A
popular legend
explains that one
son of the god
Krishna, the vain
and handsome Samba,
once ridiculed a
holy, although ugly,
sage. The sage took
his revenge by
luring Samba to a
pool where Krishna's
consorts were
bathing. While Samba
stared, the sage
slipped away and
summoned Krishna to
the site. Enraged by
his son's seeming
impropriety with his
stepmothers, Krishna
cursed the boy with
leprosy. Later he
realized that Samba
had been tricked,
but it was too late
to withdraw the
curse. Samba then
travelled to the
seashore, where he
performed 12 years
penance to Surya
who, pleased with
his devotion, cured
him of the dreaded
disease. In
thanksgiving, Samba
erected a temple at
the spot.
In India, history
and legend are often
intextricably mixed.
Scholars however
feel that
Narasimhadeva, the
historical builder
of the temple,
probably erected the
temple as a victory
monument, after a
successful campaign
against Muslim
invaders.
In any case, the
temple which
Narasimhadeva left
us is a chronicle in
stone of the
religious, military,
social, and domestic
aspects of his
thirteenth century
royal world. Every
inch of the
remaining portions
of the temple is
covered with
sculpture of an
unsurpassed beauty
and grace, in
tableaux and
freestanding pieces
ranging from the
monumental to the
miniature. The
subject matter is
fascinating.
Thousands of images
include deities,
celestial and human
musicians, dancers,
lovers, and myriad
scenes of courtly
life, ranging from
hunts and military
battles to the
pleasures of courtly
relaxation. These
are interspersed
with birds, animals
(close to two
thousand
 charming
and lively elephants
march around the
base of the main
temple alone),
mythological
creatures, and a
wealth of intricate
botanical and
geometrical
decorative designs.
The famous
jewel-like quality
of Orissan art is
evident throughout,
as is a very human
perspective which
makes the sculpture
extremely
accessible. The
temple is famous for
its erotic
sculptures, which
can be found
primarily on the
second level of the
porch structure. The
possible meaning of
these images has
been discussed
elsewhere in this
book. It will become
immediately apparent
upon viewing them
that the frank
nature of their
content is combined
with an overwhelming
tenderness and
lyrical movement.
This same kindly and
indulgent view of
life extends to
almost all the other
sculptures at Konark,
where the thousands
of human, animal,
and divine
personages are shown
engaged in the full
range of the
'carnival of life'
with an overwhelming
sense of appealing
realism.
The only images, in
fact, which do not
share this relaxed
air of accessibility
are the three main
images of Surya on
the northern,
western, and
southern facades of
the temple tower.
Carved in an almost
metallic green
chlorite stone (in
contrast to the soft
weathered khondalite
of the rest of the
structure), these
huge images stand in
a formal frontal
position which is
often used to
portray divinities
in a state of
spiritual
equilibrium.
Although their
dignity sets them
apart from the rest
of the sculptures,
it is, nevertheless,
a benevolent
dignity, and one
which does not
include any trace of
the aloof or the
cold. Konark has
been called one of
the last Indian
temples in which a
living tradition was
at work, the
'brightest flame of
a dying lamp'. As we
gaze at these superb
images of Surya
benevolently
reigning over his
exquisite stone
world, we cannot
help but feel that
the passing of the
tradition has been
nothing short of
tragic.
Close by is one of
the most attractive
beaches of the world
- the Chandrabhaga
beach.
Approach:
By air to
Bhubaneswar, Konark
is 65 km from
Bhubaneswar by road. |
Bhubaneshwar
Cuttack
Puri