India 2016 (Odisha) - Konark & Puri
Konark
The Sun Temple at Konark, about 70km southeast of Bhubaneshwar, was built around 13th century CE and is a UNESCO world heritage site since 1984.
Built in the shape of a gigantic chariot on 24 huge stone wheels it is dedicated to the sun god Surya.
The main sanctum probably had a height of 70m but unfortunately collapsed. The audience hall with a height of 39m today dominates the site, the dance hall in front.
At the time of its construction it was situated at the mouth of a river very near to the sea. Today the distance to the Bay of Bengal is about 3km. After the temple was abandoned in 16th century CE parts of the temple were covered by sand, that way preserving the wonderful carvings and remaining structures of sandstone.
The buildings are abundantly covered with ornaments depicting gods, musicians, dancers, couples in erotic poses, flowers, animals and many more things. The details are magnificent, the sheer number unbelievable and the size of the structure astonishing - the wheels of the chariot for example have a diameter of 3m. Almost every inch of the temple is covered with sculptures.
For these reasons the Sun Temple at Konark is considered to be the climax of Odisha temple architecture and is one of the main tourist spots in India - frequently
mentioned in one line with the temple at Khajuraho, Golden Temple at Amritsar, Taj Mahal or Hampi.
Fishing Village near Konark
Puri
