About Konark
The Sun Temple, Konark was built in the meeting place of Chandrabhaga river and Bay of Bengal in the 13th Century AD by the king of Ganga Dynasty Narasingha Dev-I (Popularly known as Langula Narasingha Dev). It is situated in a small village Konark (named after the temple)in Puri District of Odisha, India. Lord Sun is the presiding deity here. The temple is a certified World Heritage Site. Konark is popularly known as Black Pagoda, as it was built by using black granite stones. The flawless architecture, gentle undulating topography natural surroundings attracts many tourists from India as well as abroad towards this place. It is one of the most lovable historical sites of India to experience the beauty of ancient art and culture.Architecture of the Temple
The temple is built in the shape of a chariot. It depicts the excellent stone carving skills of ancient Odisha architectures. The architecture of the temple is designed in such a manner that it looks like a huge chariot driven by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of elegantly designed wheels. The main entrance of the temple is guarded by two lions. The most part of the temple is filled with the sculptures like Women in dancing pose, Animals, couples in amorous poses etc. It is alleged from the survey that Magnetic Technology was used to construct the whole temple. The temple is placed in such a manner that the first ray of the rising sun fall on the coast would pass through the temple. It is alleged that there was a load stone at the top of the temple (Known as Dhadi Nauti) which was the reason for the balance of the whole temple. But it is missing now. There is much folklore regarding the removal of the loadstone. At present the temple is in a half-ruin stage.
At the entrance of the temple there is a Nrutya Mandap (Nata Mandir). Besides the main temple, there is another temple dedicated to Naba-Grahas (Nine planets).The complete temple is surrounded with botanical gardens and parks which enhances its beauty.
How To Reach the place
Konark can be reached by road, rail and air.
Nearest Railway Station is Bhubaneswar Railway Station which is 65KM away and Puri is 35KM away in Marine Drive.
By Road Konark is 85 KM away from Puri via Pipli . 35KM in the Marine Drive. State Capital, Bhubaneswar is 65KM away by road from Konark. Continuous vehicle services are available from both Bhubaneswar and Puri to Konark.
The nearest Airport is Bhubaneswar Airport. Indian Airlines flights are available from all major cities of India like Delhi, Kolkata, Vizag, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Chennai.
