- Konark Sun Temple
- Address: Konark, OD 752111Phone:06758 236 821Konark (Oriya: କୋଣାର୍କ) (Sanskrit: कोणार्क) is a small town in the Puri district in the state of Odisha, India. It lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal, 65 kilometers from the capital of the state, Bhubaneswar.[1] It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, built in black granite during the reign ofNarasimhadeva-I. The temple is a World Heritage Site.[2] The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India
Etymology[edit]
The name Konârka is derived from the Sanskrit word Kona (meaning angle) and word Arka (meaning sun) in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya.[2]Similar sculptures can be found on the temples of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh. The erotic art most likely symbolizes the ecstatic bliss enjoyed by the soul when it unites with the divine, but there are a number of theories on the matter.
Arts and sculpture[edit]
The Khajuraho temples feature a variety of art work, of which 10% is sexual or erotic art outside and inside the temples. Some of the temples that have two layers of walls have small erotic carvings on the outside of the inner wall. Some scholars suggest these to be tantric sexual practices.[51] Other scholars state that the erotic arts are part of Hindu tradition of treating kama as an essential and proper part of human life, and its symbolic or explicit display is common in Hindu temples.[3][52] James McConnachie, in his history of the Kamasutra, describes the sexual-themed Khajuraho sculptures as "the apogee of erotic art":
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The temples have several thousand statues and art works, with Kandarya Mahadeva temple alone decorated with over 870. Some 10% of these iconographic carvings contain sexual themes and various sexual poses. A common misconception is that, since the old structures with carvings in Khajuraho are temples, the carvings depict sex between deities; [53] however the kama arts represent diverse sexual expressions of different human beings.[54] The vast majority of arts depict various aspects the everyday life, mythical stories as well as symbolic display of various secular and spiritual values important in Hindu tradition.[3][1] For example, depictions show women putting on makeup, musicians making music, potters, farmers, and other folks in their daily life during the medieval era.[55] These scenes are in the outer padas as is typical in Hindu temples.
There is iconographic symbolism embedded in the arts displayed in Khajuraho temples.[3] Core Hindu values are expressed in multitude of ways. Even the Kama scenes, when seen in combination of sculptures that precede and follow, depict the spiritual themes such as moksha. In the words of Stella Kramrisch,
There are many concepts describing the actual purpose for including sexual art with the sacred temples. One of the most well known concepts is that they were intended to offer knowledge about earthly wishes. During the ancient era, younger children were sent to hermitage and exercise sacred bramhacharya until attaining maturation. The statues were intended to inform them about controlled sex or grahasthahram. Yet another concept declares that they were intended to signify sacred Kama (or worldly desire) as the third great purushartha (real aim of life). The statues are also approved to the increase of the mystic art of Tantric cults during that period. However, several professionals decline these concepts. However, the most reliable details for the sexual statues at Khajuraho are as follows
Indication of Pleasure, Success and Auspiciousness
During the ancient era there was a typical perception that having sexual statues were regarded renowned alankaras or attractive elements, safety and excellent. This speculation is depending on the trustworthy spiritual written sacred messages such as the amazing Shilpashastras and the sacred Brihat Samhita. According to the epic Brihat Samhita, sex or mithunas ( or couples), goblins, creepers and sexual statues were intended to be designed on the forehead entrance to generate best of fortune and as an indication of auspiciousness.
Concept the Ascetics
Yet another concept describing the old sexual art at Khajuraho declares that the coital partners signify ascetics as well as individuals from the well-designed category. The building is also measured that the sculptures of great partners doing the orgies are scenarios thought by the performers. In addition, it is also said that the performers used ascetics in intense and enthusiastic emotions as a way to mock the excessive Tantric variations that increased during that era.
Value Language
According to professionals, the sexual numbers were used as a code terminology to express Tantric doctrines and non-communicable encounters. For e.g. a statue wherein a washerwoman sticks to an ascetic may look sexual and intense for the regular. However, in the Tantric terminology, the washerwoman symbolizes the secret Kundalini power that has ascended to the chakras for instance the throat of the ascetic. Thus, the sexual statues have a further significance relevant to the traditional Tantric conspiracy.
Hide the Magico-Propitiory Yantra
According to the structural written text of the sacred Shilpa Prakasha, every forehead must have a sex art or Kamakala Yantra tactically placed to secure it from wicked mood and organic disasters. However, the sacred Yantra, which is generally a set of collections attracted symmetrically, must not be noticeable to the nonprofessional. Thus, a few sexual statues with the go down position were created corresponding to the collections of the sacred Yantra and superimposed on it.
Non-Duality
It is possible that the sexual statues symbolically signify the partnership of two opposite causes or efforts like, breathing and exhalation, in an amazing condition of non-duality.
The sexual art at Khajuraho is regarded to be the best of really like and interest. However, during the interval between 900 – 1300 AD most of Hindu, great Jain and renowned Buddhist sacred temples across western and southeast Indian consists of sexual art.
History[edit]
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Ancient Texts[edit]
According to Bhavishya Purana and Samba Purana, there may have been a sun temple in the region earlier than current one, dating to the 9th century or earlier.[14] The books mention three sun temples at Mundira (possibly Konark), Kalapriya (Mathura), and Multan.[15][16]
According to the scriptures, Samba, the son of Krishna, was cursed with leprosy. He was advised by the sage, Kataka,[17] to worship the sun god to cure his aliment. Samba underwent penance for 12 years in Mitravana near the shores of Chandrabhaga.[18] Both the original Konark temple and the Multan temple[19] have been attributed to Samba.
The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st Century CE) mentions a port called Kainapara, which has been identified as current day KonarThe Sun Temple[edit]
Main article: Konark Sun Temple
The Sun Temple was built in the 13th century and designed as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God, Surya, with twelve pairs of ornamented wheels pulled by seven horses. Some of the wheels are 3 meters wide. Only six of the seven horse still stand today.[2] The temple fell into disuse after an envoy of Jahangir desecrated the temple in the early 17th century.[2]
The Sun temple belongs to the Kalingan school of Indian temple architecture. The alignment of the Sun Temple is along the East-West direction. The inner sanctum orvimana used to be surmounted by a tower or shikara but it was razed in the 19th century. The audience hall or jagamohana still stands and comprises majority of the ruins. The roof of the dance hall or natmandir has fallen off. It stands at the eastern end of the ruins on a raised platform
Architecture[edit]
The temple was originally built at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded since then. The temple has been built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot of the Sun god, Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels some of which are 3 meters[3] wide and is pulled by seven pairs of horses.[5] The temple follows the traditional style of Kalinga architecture. It is carefully oriented towards the east so that the first rays of sunrise strikes the principal entrance.[3] The temple is built from Khondalite rocks.[6][7]
| “ | Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man. | ” |
The original temple had a main sanctum sanctorum (vimana), which was supposedly 229 feet[5] (70 m) tall. Due to the weight of the super structure (70m tall) and weak soil of the area the main vimana fell in 1837.[10] The audience hall (Jagamohana), which is about 128 feet (30 m) tall, still stands and is the principal structure in the surviving ruins. Among the structures, which have survived to the current day, are the dance hall (Nata mandira) and dining hall (Bhoga mandapa).[3][5]
Two smaller ruined temples have been discovered nearby. One of them is called the Mayadevi Temple and is located southwest from the entrance of the main temple. It is presumed to have been dedicated to Mayadevi, one of the Sun god's wives. It has been dated to the late 11th century, earlier than the main temple.[12]The other one belongs to some unknown Vaishnava deity. Sculptures of Balarama, Varaha andTrivikrama have been found at the site, indicating it to be a Vaishnavite temple. Both temples have their primary idols missing
History[edit]
In 1559, Mukunda Gajapati came to throne in Cuttack. He aligned himself as an ally of Akbar and an enemy of the Sultan of Bengal, Sulaiman Khan Karrani. After a few battles, Odisha finally fell. The fall was also aided by the internal turmoil of the state. In 1568, the Konark temple was said damaged by the army of Kalapahad, a general of the Sultan.[7]Kalapahad is also said to be responsible for damages to several other temples during the conquest
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