What I am going to tell you now, is about a very amazing construction of Indian architecture. Yes, this is an explanatory article about the Sun Temple built at the confluence of the Chandrabhaga River and the ocean sand in the state of Odisha in eastern India.

We had planned to stay there and patiently explore the entire Konark temple while we were there, having gone to see the Konark festival. Even in this cold season, the entire Konark sea was drizzling due to the clouds that had risen from the sea in the early morning. We drank a chai and held an umbrella and walked into the temple.

That morning, this 13th-century wonder was shining in the new light. This temple was completed by Narasimhatheva I in 1250 AD. There is no mistake in calling it the pinnacle of Kalinga architecture. Although this temple is in ruins today, we can feel its fame in Kalinga at one time. In ancient Kalinga, it was worshipped as an Arkakshetra.

Before coming to this temple, I had read the book ‘The Citadel of Love’ written by Pratibha Roy, so I had a desire to know more about this temple. The novel tells the story of an American traveler and an architecture student from Odisha who is willing know about this temple.

Currently, the temple complex is almost completely destroyed. All we can see is the Jaganmohana and the roofless dance hall. Around the temple, there are some small temples for subsidiary deities, the most important of which is the Mayadevi temple.

The first thing you will encounter when entering this temple is the dance hall. This temple is considered the jewel of Odissi dance. Odissi dance has been performed in the best possible way in this dance hall for centuries. Dance symbols and music-related sculptures are beautifully carved around this dance hall. Although Odissi is the main one, it is noteworthy that other dance arts of India were also performed here. To express this, the symbols of various dance arts of India like Bharatanatyam, Kuchipudi, and Dhandiya are displayed here as sculptures.

Next to this dance hall is the Jagamohana with 24 wheels and the base of the temple that holds the Vimana. This Konark wheel must be familiar to you. There are a total of eight branches in a wheel. Sculptures are carved in the shape of a circle on each of those eight forks. These eight forks divide a day into as three hours. In this, time was calculated according to the sun’s rays falling on each branch from left to right. What I admired about it was a wheel that divided a queen’s day into equal three hours and what she would do during that time was carved into a sculpture on each branch.

Let me tell you a fact that many people do not know. In fact, this temple is a temple for adults. Most of the sculptures carved around this base where the Konark Chakra is located are Kama Sutra sculptures. Yes, most of the sculptures are depicting the Kama Sutra sexual positions. These sculptures are carved in a way that explains the sexual culture of that time in detail. There is evidence of the high level of sexual intercourse in ancient Indian society in various temples across India. After Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh, this temple is the most important of them. Some of the sculptures here show that today’s LGBTQ is not new to this human society.

Next, let’s look at the architecture of this temple. This temple is made of ‘Kondalite’ stone. It is believed that the stones were brought from a distance of 100 kilometers through the Chandrabhaga River and built on the beach. The amazing thing about this temple is that it is a temple built with iron and stones. Although ‘Composite’ structures made of iron and concrete are popular in engineering today, I was surprised by the possibility of this engineering 900 years ago. As a proof of this, you can see the steel beams above the entrance of the Jagan Mohana Temple. In addition, the steel beams from the dilapidated parts of the temple on the right side have been taken out and placed separately for public viewing. Since it was built with iron, there is a story that at that time this temple affected the navigation of ships passing through that route.

On the left side of the temple, you can see a statue of a warrior and a horse, which is featured in the official emblem of the state of Odisha. Apart from this, there are various sculptures depicting the culture and lifestyle of the people of that period in this temple.

The exact reason for the collapse of this temple, which is almost 70 meters high, is not known. However, my guess is that this temple may have collapsed due to natural disasters. There is no deity in this temple at present. As per the rules of Hindu Agama, no pujas or pujas are currently held in this temple, as it is not allowed to perform pujas in broken and dilapidated temples. It is currently just a tourist attraction. The Archaeological Survey of India is currently carrying out some repair work to prevent this temple from collapsing further.

After patiently exploring the temple for almost 3 hours and hearing many more things from the narrator, we left the place with a great historical experience.

I know you will definitely visit Konark when you visit Odisha, but my request is that before going to this temple, please Google it and learn about its historical and architectural facts, and then patiently spend at least 3 hours to see and experience this temple.

Thank you!

Travel Guide :

Location: Konark Sun Temple.

Special fact: The pinnacle of Kalinga architecture, recognized by UNESCO.

How to reach: Regular Public transport (Bus) from Puri & Bhubaneshwar, Odisha.

Best time to visit: Jun-March

Time need to visit : 3 hours.

Things to do: Visit the temple and sculptures, take a stroll on Chandrabhaga beach.

Food & Stay: Many mid range hotels and Restaurants near by. But if you want 3 star category stay in Puri/Bhubaneshwar.

Safety: Generally safe for visitors, Avoid in cyclone time.

My Rating: 10/10.

Trip Budget (Tentative as on 2024) (You can add the inflation with the below price by the year you are in now)

Item	Budget	Comfortable	Luxury
Reaching there	100 INR from Bhubaneshwar/Puri through Public bus	3000 INR Hatchback private car from Puri/Bhubaneshwar	5000 INR Sedan/SUV private car from Puri/Bhubaneshwar
Food	100 INR (Roadside eateries)	200 INR (Kamat food court)	300 INR (Kamat food court)
Guide fees	No guide	400 INR	400 INR
Entry fees	100 INR	100 INR	100 INR
Stay	No stay	1600 INR at Konark (Surya INN)	4000 INR at Puri/Bhubaneshwar (Toshali sands resort)
Total	300 INR Per Person	5300 INR for single & Couple	9800 for single & Couple