Posted by Jennifer Kumar
The photo diary of Konark, Sun Temple, Orissa is submitted by Ajoy.
More of Ajoy’s submissions, articles about temples and Hindu festivals in India here.
These photos were taken while I was in Orissa. The Konark Temple (aka Sun Temple) is close to Puri in Orissa. The nearest airport is in Bhubhaneshwar (capital of Orissa), from here there are plenty of trains to Puri. The train ride of about 120 minutes takes you through rural India (mostly rice paddy fields) which feels really nice.
The sun temple is an architectural and sculptural master piece carved in sandstone. People are not allowed inside the temple due to damage, though anyone (including foreigners) can tour the outside of the structure. The reason it got damaged is that it had a stone at the top which had strong magnetic properties. This stone affected the navigation compass of the ship crossing the bay of Bengal, leading them astray. Once the Portugese sailors found the cause they toppled the stone off the top this destabilized the structure. From then the temple is in disuse, it is now under archeological survey of India and anybody can visit it, it is no more a functional temple. The lawns around the temple are well kept. However in the Jagannath temple I believe foreigners are not allowed.
Interesting book- talks about culture in Orissa – Women, Family, and Child Care in India: A World in Transition
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2008, Ajoy, Alaivani Contributors, hindu, hindu temples, historical monuments, india, konark, orissa, sun temple, puri, suryakshetra, konarka
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