The Temple On Wheels

The first thing that would take your breath away when you witness the Konark temple is the grandeur and the beauty of the massive structure. As history suggests, the temple was carved out of a single piece of enorrmous rock. It was constructed in close proximity to the Chandrabhaga river which entered the sea at a stone's throw distance. The sea line has receded over the years and the river no longer exists. But to unfold the history, the main entrance of this temple stands singing the glory of its colorful past.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Surya(Hindu God). The rising Sun’s rays seem to be emerging from the temple and hold a spectacular view had the main temple existed. Most of the temple is currently in ruins and what remains is the temple’s Mukhashala(Entry) and the main temple which no longer exists was supposed to be over 200 feet in height.

The temple has 24 wheels and there is a mystery behind the wheels of the great Konark temple. Two out of these wheels are used as sundials and can be used to calculate time accurately with the precision of minute.Can you imagine that? The mystery behind them was uncovered a few hundred years ago and the mystery of other wheels still persists!!

The surrounding area of the temple is as exquisite as the temple itself. Have a look around.

The causes of the fall of the temple are not concrete and there are several theories which suggest how the fall of the temple might have occurred-

• Natural causes- One of the most significant theory that is believed by many is that natural causes led to the fall of this great architectural monument. Due to its close proximity to the sea, it might have suffered destruction.
• Incomplete Temple- Some historians are of the opinion that the temple was left in an incompleted state due to the death of the King Langula Narasimha Dev, builder of the Konarak temple. Hence the temple was left in a haphazard state and ultimately collapsed. But this theory doesn’t hold much good because Konark temple was completed between 1253 and 1260 A.D and king Langula Narasimha Dev reigned till 1282
• Load Stone- Legends describe a load stone that was placed on the top of the Sun Temple. Due to its magnetic effects, the ships passing in the sea were drawn towards the temple and crashed resulting in severe damage to both the temple and the ships. To save the ships from this disaster the Portuguese voyagers took away the load stone which resulted in the temple losing its balance as the load stone was acting as the central stone and eventually fell down.
• Continuous invasions- Due to repeated invasions by Muslim rulers who devastated the property by attacking it, the monument finally fell into ruins.

The Konark Temple is located in the Puri district of Odisha, a state in the country of India. It is located on the coastline of Odisha and lies at a distance of about 65 kms from the capital city of Bhubaneswar.

The easiest way to reach Konark is to take a taxi from Bhubaneswar to the place.

Airport connectivity- Biju Patnaik International Airport, Bhubaneswar

Nearest Railway Station- Puri Railway Station, Puri

I have listed my two favourite locations where you can stay in Konark. You will get a chance to witness the gorgeous sunrise in the morning and soak in the etheral view.If you do not want to make an overnight stay in Konark, you can book a hotel in Bhubaneswar or Puri and travel to Konark from there.

Yatrinivas, Konark

Lotus Eco Resort, Konark