Konark Sun Temple

The Konark Sun Temple stands near the coast of the Bay of Bengal at Konark, about 35 kilometres northeast of Puri in Odisha, eastern India. UNESCO inscribed it on the World Heritage List in 1984, and it is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India.

The temple is attributed to King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, around 1250 CE, and is dedicated to Surya, the sun god. European sailors once called it the Black Pagoda because its dark tower served as a landmark for ships.

The whole temple was designed as a huge chariot for the sun god, with 24 carved stone wheels and seven horses. The wheels, about three metres across, are thought to work as sundials. The main tower over the sanctum, estimated at about 70 metres, collapsed in 1837, and what remains is the large audience hall, the jagamohana, about 39 metres high, filled with sand and sealed in 1903 to keep it standing.

The walls are covered in carvings of gods, musicians, dancers, animals, scenes of daily life and erotic figures. The Konark Dance Festival is held each December against the temple backdrop. Entry tickets are sold at the gate and online, at ₹40 for Indian citizens and ₹600 for foreign visitors, and the ASI museum nearby displays fallen sculptures.

Why did the tower fall?

Nobody knows for certain why the great tower of Konark came down. Historians point to a mix of causes: weak foundations on sandy coastal ground, storms and salt air, and damage during wars between the 15th and 17th centuries, including the invasion of 1508. By the time it finally collapsed in 1837, the temple had long been abandoned.

Several pieces of the temple now stand elsewhere. The Aruna Stambha, a pillar that once stood before the entrance, was moved to the Jagannath Temple in Puri, where it still stands outside the main gate.

Sundial wheels and the seven horses

Each of the 24 wheels is close to 3 metres across with eight main spokes, and their carved rims are covered with tiny figures. Guides demonstrate how the shadow of a spoke tells the time, which is why the wheels are often described as sundials. The seven horses pulling the chariot stand for the days of the week.

The temple appears on the reverse of the Indian 10-rupee note, so many Indian visitors take a photograph holding the note up to the wheel.

Chandrabhaga Mela and the ASI sculpture museum

The Chandrabhaga Mela, held around February at the nearby beach, draws large numbers of Hindu pilgrims who bathe at dawn and pray to the rising sun. The ASI's Konark Archaeological Museum, a short walk from the gate, displays the best of the fallen sculpture, and seeing it first helps you read the carving on the walls. Early morning is the coolest time and gives the best light on the east face.