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Architecture of
Konark Temple |
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The temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka),
the sun god, and is heavily decorated with stone
carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of
a huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve
pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels.
The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are
each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in
turn lies on top of a human body. The temple symbolises
the majestic stride of the Sun god. At the entrance of
the temple is a Nata Mandir. This is where the temple
dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun god.
All around the temple, there are various floral and
geometric patterns.The temple is now partly in ruins,
and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun
Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey
of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark:
"here the language of stone surpasses the language of
man."
The Sun Temple, built in the thirteenth century, was
conceived as a gigantic chariot of Sun God, with twelve
pairs of exquisitely ornamented wheels pulled by seven
pairs of horses. Majestic in conception, this temple is
one of the most sublime monuments of India, famous as
much for its imposing dimensions and faultless
proportions as for the harmonious integration of
architectural grandeur with plastic allegiance. |
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Every
inch of the temple is covered with sculpture of an
unsurpassed beauty and grace, in tableaux and
freestanding pieces ranging from the monumental to the
miniature. The subject matter is fascinating. Thousands
of images include deities, celestial and human
musicians, dancers, lovers, and myriad scenes of courtly
life, ranging from hunts and military battles to the
pleasures of courtly relaxation. These are interspersed
with birds, animals (close to two thousand charming and
lively elephants march around the base of the main
temple alone), mythological creatures, and a wealth of
intricate botanical and geometrical decorative designs.
The famous jewel-like quality of Orissan art is evident
throughout, as is a very human perspective which makes
the sculpture extremely accessible. |
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The
temple is famous for its erotic sculptures, which can be
found primarily on the second level of the porch
structure. It will become immediately apparent upon
viewing them that the frank nature of their content is
combined with an overwhelming tenderness and lyrical
movement. This same kindly and indulgent view of life
extends to almost all the other sculptures at Konark,
where the thousands of human, animal, and
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divine
personages are shown engaged in the full range of the
'carnival of life' with an overwhelming sense of
appealing realism. It is admittedly the best in Orissa.
Its fine traceries and scrollwork, as well as the
beautiful and natural cut of animal and human figures,
give it a superiority over other temples. |
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The Sun temple belongs to the Kalinga School of
Indian Temples with characteristic curvilinear
towers mounted by cupolas. In shape, the temple did
not make any major departure from other sikhara
temples of Orissa. The main sanctum which (229 ft.
high) was constructed along with the audience hall
(128 ft. high) having elaborate external
projections. The main sanctum which enshrined the
presiding deity has fallen off. The Audience Hall
survives in its entirely, but only small portions of
the |
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Dancing Hall (nata Mandir) and the Dining Hall (Bhoga-Mandap)
have survived the vagaries of time. The Temple
compound measures 857 ft (261 m) by 540 ft (160 m).
The alignment of the Sun Temple is on the east-west
direction. The Temple is located in natural
surroundings, abounding with casuarina plantations
and other types of trees such as mahogany, rosewood,
eel which grow on sandy soil. |
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