It is believed that the temple was built by
king Narasimha deva I of Eastern Ganga
Dynasty around
1250 CE. The temple is in the shape of a gigantic chariot with
elaborately carved stone wheels, pillars and walls. A major part of the
structure is now in ruins. The temple is aUNESCO World Heritage Site
The name Konark derives from the combination of the Sanskrit words, Kona (corner) and Arka (sun), in reference to the temple
which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya . The temple has
been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs
of elaborately carved stone wheels which are 3 meters wide and is pulled by a set of seven
horses (4 on the right and 3 on the left). It is carefully oriented towards the
east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance
The original temple
had a main sanctum
sanctorum , which was
supposedly 229 feet (70 m) tall. Due to the weight of the super structure (70m
tall) and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837 The audience hall (Jagamohana),
which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal
structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which have survived to
the current day, are the dance hall (Nata
mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga
mandapa).
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| Mandir as it existed centuries back |
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| Mandir in ruins now |
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| wheel of chariot |
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| entrance to temple |
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| huge chariot of Sun God |
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