Sun Temple Konark - The local legends say that King Narasimha Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty had ordered the temple to be built as a symbol of political supremacy of his dynasty. Over 1200 of the most capable artisans and architects worked continuously for 12 years on the construction of the sun temple. It is said that the king had already spent an amount equal over 12 years of the tax collections. However, the completion of the Sun temple was still far from over. Enraged the king issued an ultimatum that the work be completed by a stipulated date with dire consequences otherwise. The team of architects headed by Bisu Maharana was unable to produce a solution to their architectural problem. It is said that Dharmapada--the young son of the chief architect Bisu Maharana--arrived there as a visiting onlooker. He became aware of the anxiety looming large among the architects. Although he did not have any practical experience of sun temple construction, he was careful in his study of the theories of temple architecture. He offered a solution to the problem of fixing the last stone at the top of the temple. He surprised everyone by doing that himself. But soon after his glorious achievement the dead body of this adolescent prodigy was found on the sea beach at the foot of the temple. It is often regarded that Dharmapada laid down his life to save his community. Sun Temple was dedicated to the Sun-God (Arka), popularly called Biranchi-Narayan, and the area in which it is located was known as Arka-Kshetra as well as padma- kshetra. According to folklore, Samba, son of Lord Krishna, was struck with leprosy due a curse of Lord Krishna himself. Samba for 12 years underwent harsh atonement at Mitravana, near the convergence area of Chandrabhaga River with the sea at Konark. He was finally successful in pleasing the SUN god (Surya), the healer of all skin diseases, and was cured of his ailment. In gratitude, he decided to erect a temple in the honor of Surya. The day following his cure, while Samba was bathing in the Chandrabhaga, he discovered an image of the god, which had been fashioned out of Suryas body by Viswakarma. Samba installed this image in a temple he built in Mitravana, where he propitiated the god. Since then, throughout the ages, this place has been regarded as sacred. Best Time to Visit January to March How to Reach From Puri, 35 km or Bhubaneswar, 65 km. Location Puri, Orissa Nearest Rail Station Puri, is well connected to most of major Indian Cities. Nearest Airport The nearest airport is located at Bhubaneswar.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 03:24:55 +0000
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