Konark Sun Temple
Konark is a small town in the district Puri and is 65 kms from Bhubaneswar, the Temple City of India. Konark Sun Temple is a much renowned site of World Heritage. Built in 13th century, Sun Temple is popularly known as the Black Pagoda. It was built by king Narasimhadeva in black granite. The temple is made in the form of Chariot of Surya (the Sun God). The Sun Temple is as unique as Taj Mahal in Agra. The breathtaking architecture of the Sun Temple at Konark in Odisha (Orissa) attracts large number of tourists all around the world. The architecture of the temple as well as the dexterously carved sculptures of this temple is more than enough to catch your eyes.
The grand chariot of the Sun God consists of 24 wheels that appear attractive because of the carvings. It is believed that the 12 pairs of wheels symbolize twelve months and the temple itself is considered to the show the movement of time which is brought in by the movement of the sun. Just as you enter the temple, you are welcomed by two lions. Then you come into the Nata mandir where the fine carvings amuse you completely. The carvings consist of the pictures of animals, warriors as well as erotic pictures. One also spots three pictures of the Sun God that receive the sun rays at three times of the day including morning, afternoon and evening. The ceiling of the temple contain pictures of musicians and dancers and the over the temple floor, you find the sculptures of the Shiva Nataraja performing the divine dance.
According to the legend, Samba, one of the Krishna's sons got the penance of curse by Krishna because he dared to enter the bathroom where Krishna's wives used to bathe. He only way through which he could be freed from the curse was the sincere worship of the Sun God in the sacred region of Puri. And therefore, in order to be relieved from the bad effects of the curse, Samba reached Konaditya, or Konark where he got fully devoted to the Sun god's image with lotus forming its seat.
Another legend associated with the temple is that the ships that approached towards the temple or came closer to the temple got destroyed. And therefore, the dome got shifted to Puri. A temple like the Sun Temple of Konark is likely to have many legends associated with it. Hindus and all those who have an inclination towards religion do make it a point to visit the Konark Sun Temple and because of this reason, this is one of the much renowned attractions of Orissa.
