Konark Sun Temple
कोणार्क सूर्य मंदिर
📍 Konark, Puri district, Odisha
Konark's Sun Temple imagines Surya's chariot in stone, with 24 carved wheels and seven horses. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of India's great architectural wonders.
पत्थर में ढला सूर्यदेव का रथ — 24 पहिए और सात घोड़े; यूनेस्को विश्व धरोहर।
इतिहास History
King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty built the temple around 1250 CE. Its main sanctum has fallen, but the assembly hall (jagamohana) still stands; it was filled with sand and sealed in 1903 to preserve it.
European sailors called it the 'Black Pagoda'. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and is today a protected monument, not a place of active worship.
कथा The legend
Samba, son of Krishna, was cured of a skin disease after twelve years of worshipping Surya where the Chandrabhaga meets the sea, and he built a temple to the Sun here.
दर्शनीय Don’t miss
- The 24 carved wheels, which also work as sundials
- A Konark wheel appears on the back of the ₹10 note
- Konark Dance Festival every December
- Chandrabhaga beach nearby
उत्सव Festivals
मंदिर दर्शन Temple story
The secrets of Konark Sun, from our YouTube series.
▶ Watch all 18 Temple Stories on YouTubePhoto: Subham9423 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons