 Konark
" The Black Pagoda " in Orissa. ( Sun Temple ) |
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| This crowning piece of Orissan architecture and
sculpture, built in the 13th century , the golden era of orissan art, is a
poetry in stone and on the World Heritage list. The Mukhashala , or entrance
hall continues to interest both devotees and visitors. The walls of this
magnificent ruin have exquisite sculptures covering many aspects of life,
Scenes of love and war, trade and court transactions , hunting, catching of
elephants , sages teaching , childbirth, amorous dalliances, dancers
and mythical figures , all vie for attention on the panels and niches of
this immortal work of art. |
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| Surasundaris, heavenly
damsels, free-standing, larger-than-life monoblock female statues playing the
cymbals and drums, flutes and trumpets, adorn the top of the temple.
The beautifully -carved couples engaged in myriad modes of amorous union,
with their incomparable charms , are an attraction for connoisseurs of art
as well as for ordinary visitors. |
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symbolizing the divisions of
time with their intricate cravings on the spokes and the axle-heads, are a
living monument of the glory of Orissa's past, frozen for a moment of the
shores of time . Konark is a many splendoured gem of Orissan art. Its beauty
is not for description in words. It is to be seen, enjoyed and savourd, not
once but again and again, for it is truly a thing of beauty , a joy for
ever. |
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| Everyday the Sun God rises from
the lap of the blue ocean close by and casts his first gentle rays of the
sanctum sanctorum and then circles the temple during the course of the day,
illuminating the three magnificent images of the morning Sun, the mid -day
Sun and the setting Sun. The colossal figures of the war elephants holding
aloft a dazed soldier or the enraged war-horses trampling under their hooves
a fallen warrior , the last fittingly chosen as the emblem of the
State, and above all, the twenty-four giant wheels of this temple-chariot, |
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EXCURSIONS |
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RAMACHANDI ( 8 km )
Temple of Goddess Ramachandi, meeting place of river Kushabhara with the
sea. A nice picnic spot. |
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BELESWAR ( 20 km)
Saiva shrine and sea beach
BALIGHAI ( 25 km)
Sea beach and Sea Turtle Research Centre
kURUM ( 8 km )
Excavated Buddhist Site
KAKATAPUR (25 km )
Shrine of Goddess Mangala on river Prachi
CHORAGI ( 35 km )
Temple of Goddess Barahi, A Typical order of Temple architecture. |
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AIR - Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport - 65
km . Indian Airlines , Sahara Airlines has flights from Delhi, Kolkata,
Visakhapatnam, Nagpur, Hyderabad Chennai and Mumbai. |
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