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Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man - Ravindranath Tagore, Noble Laureate Poet.

Built by King Narasimhadev in 13th century, the temple is designed in the shape of a chariot with seven horses and 12 pairs of wheels which Sun god can use to cross heavens.

Three types of stones - khondlite, chlorite, and laterite were used to build this temple which is 227 feet high. The porch structure of the temple is more than 120 ft. high.

The temple was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1984.

Even in a half preserved state, the Sun Temple of Konark in India is a magnificent sight. It envisages - the Sun god passing through the heavens on his divine chariot being pulled by seven horses. That’s the whole concept, but it does not matter even if you look at it in parts as each part here is an example of exquisite craftsmanship in stone carvings.

Each stone slab in the perfectly proportioned structure is alive with precisely chiseled motifs of flowers, animals, birds, royals and deities. The leaves of a tree, the adornments of the courtesans, the carved spokes of the wheel - the details on each panel are striking.

The panels carry erotic sculptures as well besides those depicting everyday activities like hunts, dances, and battle scenes. It is said that the base of the temple alone some 2000 images of elephants.

The fame of this 13th century structure located in Puri district of Orissa (India) had reached far and wide even during medieval times. It was visited by the Vaishnava saint Chaitanya as also by Abu’l Fazl, the author of A-in-e-Akabari (a biography of Mughal emperor Akbar) in which he wrote -”…even those whose judgement is critical and who are difficult to please stand astonished at it’s sight.”

Ditto, I say even in it’s present state. The east-west alignment of the temple captures the sun rays magically at sunrise, noon, and sunset. That’s when the whole structure blazes like fire and the stone figures sparkle.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 12th, 2007 at 1:25 am and is filed under Indian Art & Culture, Wonders of India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.