The name ‘Konark’ is derived from two Sanskrit Words of ‘Kona’ and ‘Arka’ which mean ‘Corner’ and ‘Sun’ respectively.
Konark
Temple is one of the Best Religious Edifices of the World and according to the
poll conducted by N.D.T.V., one of the Prominent T.V.Channels of India, it is
One of the Seven Wonders of India.
Located
at the Village of Konark, 35 km from Puri and 65 km from the Capital City
of the State of Orissa, India, it is One
of the Most Sought-After Tourist Destinations of Orissa. It. is also called ‘Black Pagoda’ due to its black colour as it
is built with black granites and seen black by sailors from distance and they
only named it so.
It
has been constructed on or about 1250 A.D. by King Narasimhadeva-I of the Ganga
Dynasty.
Built
up in the pattern of a gigantic chariot drawn by seven horses with twelve pairs
of wheels eloquently and elaborately
decorated with, the Sun Temple is a magnificent structure of architecture. Unfortunately thanks to various reasons now
out of the Seven Horses only one horse remains in its old gold glory and
grandeur.
Its
wonderful style of architecture mirrors the Passage of Time which according to
the Hindu Faith is under the control of Sun God. The Seven Horses of the Temple
Represent the Total Number of Days in a Week. The Twelve Pairs of Wheels seen
below the Main Temple Represent the
Twelve Months of the Year. The Eight Spokes found in Eeach of the Wheels Stand
for the Eight Stages in the day of a Hindu Woman.
The
Outstanding Features of the Temple are its Marvelous Erotic Sculptures on the
Second Level of the Porch and Beautiful Carvings On the Entire Area of Main
Temple, Dance Hall or Natya Mandap, etc.
Nevertheless
Dance Hall is wholly a different building standing proudly in front of the Main Temple Building. The Main
Entrance Point to the Temple is just in front of Natya Mandap which is also called the Hall of Offering or’ Bhogamandapa’.
Though
the Temple is deprived of its original
structures due to various factors like
man-made destructions, annihilation inflicted upon by natural catastrophes, etc,
the remaining part of the edifice proclaims the extraordinary artistic qualities
of the artistes of the bygone era.
The
Temple is also the Venue for the Annual Odissi Dance Festival, various other
Dance Festivals, etc.
How
To Reach
By
Air
The
Nearest Airport is Bhubaneshwar, 65 km
By
Rail
The
Nearest Railway Station is Puri, 35 km
By
Road
Buses
and taxis are easily available from Puri.
Though buses are available from Bhubaneshwar frequency is
less.
Drive
from Puri takes about an hour whilst drive from Bhubaneshwar takes approximately
3 to 4 hours.
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