Konark

Blessed by the sun god, Konark gets its name after the presiding deity of the Sun temple. The name of Konark signifies a combination of two words where Kona stands for Corner and arka means Sun. Earlier a port bustling with sea trade activities with the neighbouring south east Asian countries, it has the privilege of being one of the centers of Sun worshiping in India. The temple at Konark dates back to the 13th century and represents the highest point of Orissan Architecture.

Konark is situated 20 miles to the north east of Puri in the state of Orissa and is known mainly because it houses the famous Black pagoda or the Sun Temple. The vedic puranas refer to the Sun God as the store house or power of radiance. The vedas are in full praise of the sun as the celestial source of sustaining life on earth.

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Climate
Temperature in the summers are extremely hot which sometimes rises to as high as 43°C while the winters are warm and pleasant. The best time to visit the place is during the month of October to March.

Major Attractions
» The Sun Temple - In present days the temple is a World heritage site,declared by the UNESCO, It was patronized by the king Narashimha who ruled the place from 1238 to 1264 AD. The appearance of the temple is of a wheeled chariot drawn by beautifully carved wheels of more than 10 feet in diameter. The wheels all carved in stone are chiseled carefully giving the shapes of spokes, pins and hubs. The appearance of the temple gives the illusion of seven mighty horses galloping with the chariot.

The Sun temple consist of a sanctum, one front porches or the Jag Mandir with pyramidal roofs, a dance hall better known as the Natya Mandir and a offering hall called the Bhog Mandir. The mandir houses the well crafted Chariot in the ceremonial hall with decorative carvings all around. The huge lotus stone atop the temple is reached by three distinct Terraces built in a pleasant curvilinear effect.

» Mayadevi Temple - The Maya Devi temple is situated to the south west of the Konark temple behind the sanctuary. It was believed by some to be dedicated to one of the wives of Lord Surya, while some of the great men were of the opinion that it was an older version of the Surya temple itself. The temple is guarded by two lions on each side of it and is carved with exotic sculpture of dancing nymphs, musicians , motifs as well as court scenes of the times.

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» Archaeological Museum -The Museum nearby to the temple preserves many priced carvings,sculptures that were found during the excavation of the temple premises. The stone image of the planet deities , the Navagrahas are kept as a living shrine in the museum. The stone sculpture were initially kept at the ornamented doorway to the temple.