It was a revisit for me. I had been to Konark Sun temple earlier. However, my wife was seeing the
internationally famous monument for the first time. My immediate reaction was that its bewitching
charm has not diminished in any way.
THE MESMERISING MONUMENT
(By Subbaram Danda)
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| The Jagamohana (audience hall) is the principal structure in the Konark Sun temple complex today |
The Sun temple, in its present form, stands gorgeously
in the middle of a lush green garden with neatly mowed lawns and nicely trimmed
flower plants. It continues to attract
people from all over the world.
We engaged an English speaking guide to take us round
and tell us about strange and mysterious aspects of the temple. He was knowledgeable and articulate. We were astounded when he described how the statue
of the Sun originally looked in the sanctum. We heard him with bated breath.
The highly ornate and resplendent statue was in a
totally levitated state as if suspended in air well above the ground. This was made possible by a huge powerful magnet
installed on top of the 229-foot Vimana (tower over the sanctum) and smaller
ones at other points. Iron plates were
also inserted between pairs of stones all around the rising tower. This arrangement generated interacting
magnetic forces and kept the idol made of iron-rich material floating. Incredible!
Incredible!!
But, ships sailing on the sea near the coast of the
temple had a tough time with their compasses, which went haywire because of the
power of the huge magnet. Angry Portuguese
sailors bombarded it with canons. The
result was devastating. The magnet and
the tower came crashing down. A colossal
loss! How wonderful it would have been, had
the levitating statue existed to this day!!
Another version says that the collapse of the tower
was on account of the weight of the superstructure and inadequate foundation in
the loose soil at the site. There is
also a view that it was the mindless work of anti-Hindu outfits at that time. The event took place in 1837.
The principal structure that we see today is
Jagamohana (audience hall) in front of what was once the sanctum. Soaring to a height of 128 feet, it provides
an aura of grandeur to the entire scene.
Other surviving buildings are Nata Mandira (dance hall) and Bhoga Mandapa
(dining hall).
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| In front of the Nata Mandira |
Our guide explained that the temple was built by King
Narasimhadeva I of Eastern Ganga dynasty in 1255 in the traditional Kalinga
style of architecture. More than 1,200
artisans worked hard to create the wonder in stone in 12 years. In 1984 it received UNESCO’s tag of “World
Heritage Site.”
The entire structure was conceived and constructed in
the form of a gigantic chariot ornately crafted with twelve pairs of
elaborately carved 10-feet high stone wheels together with a set of seven
horses (four on the right and three on the left) pulling it. The 12 pairs of wheels represent 12 months of
the year and the seven horses stand for the seven days of the week. There were also three images of the Sun on
the outer side facing three directions.
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| Each of the 12 pairs of wheels is extensively carved |
The whole temple is oriented towards east in such a precise
way that the first rays of the morning Sun would always pass through the Nata
Mandira and the Jagamohana. When the Vimana
was there, the rays illuminated the sanctum.
The temple’s architectural features are
innumerable. A pair of identical
sculptures on each side of the steps of the entrance to the monument captures
the attention of the visitors – a fierce lion pouncing on a mighty kneeling
elephant, which tightly holds under its trunk a man lying on the ground. What is sought to be conveyed through this
display? Elephant symbolises power and
lion stands for pride. When a man’s
pride overrides his unbridled power, his fall is imminent. The sculptor has done a marvellous job.
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| The symbolism of lion, elephant and man |
Women practised boxing in those days! We were somewhat surprised, when our guide
talked about them, pointing to a neatly carved panel on an exterior wall of the
temple. Boxing was a popular game at
that time and women in large numbers participated in it. They also excelled in such uncommon
activities as horse-riding and animal fighting.
Of course, their forte was fine arts.
Courtesans specialized in exotic forms of dance. “This shows that women of that time played a
dominant role in the society,” our guide commented.
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| Boxing women |
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| A woman riding a horse |
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| A woman fights with an animal |
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| Women, of course, excelled in music and dance. |
It is indeed a great celebration of life that unfolds
in stone everywhere in the temple complex – on the walls, niches, pillars,
pedestals and plinths. There are friezes
depicting dancers and musicians, courtesans and sages, hunters and animals, celebrities
and commoners, and celestial nymphs and divinities.
Strikingly attractive damsels can be seen in a variety
of postures – wringing water from wet hair, caressing a bird, arms raised over
the head, playing musical instruments, fondling a child and exhibiting their
body sensuously. There is no dearth of
mythological figures, including human-headed serpents and demons. The king and facets of his daily life
including royal hunts, processions, victories and religious activities are writ
large everywhere.
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| It is a carnival of life everywhere |
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| More feminine figures and exotic animals |
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| Carvings and sculptures everywhere |
Turning to other aspects, our guide pointed out that
the wheels are the most-photographed portions of the temple. It is noteworthy that each one also serves
as a sundial. If one places a stick on
the axle perpendicular to the surface of the wheel, its shadow falls at a point
on the rim indicating the time of the day.
Its precision has to be appreciated.
The senseless handiwork of vandals is evident at quite
a few places. A panel on the exterior
wall portraying the images of King Narasimhadeva and his wife remains
mutilated. The lower torsos of the royal
couple have been done away with. Many disfigured sculptures can be seen elsewhere too.
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| The disfigured statues of King Narasimhadeva and his queen |
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| Statues of elephants salvaged from collapsed rubble |
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| A war steed and a warrior with his head cut off |
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| Another salvaged sculpture |
The Konark Sun temple speaks volumes about the
history, society and pastimes of the people of those times. As Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore said, “here
the language of stone surpasses the language of man.” Nothing can be more truthful than this. For heritage lovers it is a treasure trove.
My next piece will be on Dhauli Giri, where Emperor
Ashoka embraced Buddhism.
April 12, 2017
