Fact #1- The design replicates a chariot with 12 wheels
Yes! You are reading it right. When you see the Konark Sun Temple, you will find
that the design of this temple is like a chariot drawn by seven horses. Further, the
shape also includes 12 wheels. Building such a huge monument with such detailing
was indeed excellent.
Fact #2- The first rays of the sun fall directly on the sun idol placed inside!
Although, the temple now is a world heritage site, and you can find much of its
structure damage but it is still amazing with facts. Another architectural fact that will
astonish is the sun rays falling inside the temple. Yes! The temple is designed in
such a way that the first ray of sun falls directly on the sun idol placed inside the
temple. When the architecture built this beautiful structure, they made sure that the
first ray is always visible upon the idol before anywhere else. Achieving such
precision without technology is par excellence.
Further, inside the temple, you can also find a sundial that shows you the time.
When the sun rays fall upon the sun, you can determine the time of the day. people
even visiting today can see this extraordinary architecture that shows the time.
Fact #3- The sun’s idol floats in mid-air!
This is another breathtaking fact that will bring Goosebumps to you! Yes! You are
reading it right. The sun’s idol floats in the mid-air. Although it is not witnessed now,
however, in the initial days, the temple’s main idol room got designed with magnets
used in the construction. These magnets forced the idol to float in the middle of the
air.
When you people entered the room, you can experience the sun’s idol standing in
the mid-air. However, you cannot see it now! This is because; the magnetic field of
the time influenced compass navigation. So, the sailors in those days who invaded
India complained about the magnetic field. And the magnets were removed from the
temple. However, this was a masterpiece during those days.
Fact #4- The temple took 12 years to complete
Although the temple might seem to be a mere figure now, it took almost 12 years to
complete in those days. History says that the lower part of the temple was ready
within a few days. But what took years was the completion of the “Deula” or the tip of
the temple. The records also say that the king who was getting this temple built even
ordered for the killing of the architects if they don’t complete it within the deadline.
However, the main architect’s son who was also having skills in architects built the
Deula within few days. He was also about 12 years only. but in order to save his
father’s life, he gave away his life in the water of the Chandrabhaga Ocean. It is
because; if the king would find anyone else building the tip, he would kill the
architects anyway. So, to save the lives of several architects, the little boy sacrificed
his life.
The Konark Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, is in the Indian state of
Odisha. The temple was built by the Eastern Ganga Dynasty during the mid 13th
century. The temple is listed in the UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites and is
essentially one of the 7 Wonders of India. As the name suggests the temple is
dedicated to the Sun and is built in the shape of an Indian chariot with wheels carved
besides the temple. The temple was originally built at the banks of the
Chandrabhaga River, but the waters have receded.
Built in the shape of the Sun god’s chariot the temple has 12 pairs of wheels which
were carved out from stone. The wheels of the temple also serve as sundials which
were used to denote time according to the position of the Sun. The Kalinga style of
architecture is pretty evident with the elaborate carvings. The temple stands on the
site of a previous temple which was built around the 7th century AD. The current
temple was built by the Eastern Ganga King Narsimhadeva I to celebrate his victory
over the invading army of Tughral Tughan Khan during the era of the Delhi
Sultanate. The temple structure that stands today is only a shadow of the massive
structure that stood till it was mysteriously destroyed around the 19th century.
Several theories exist regarding the collapse of the temple structure.
