Konark Sun Temple - Ancient Temples in India

Konark Sun Temple

Konark is one of the well known tourist attractions of Orissa. Konark, Konark houses a colossal temple dedicated to the Sun God. Even in its ruined state it is a magnificient temple reflecting the genius of the architects that envisioned and  built it. Bhubaneshwar, Konark and Puri constitute the Golden triangle of Orissa, visited in large numbers by pilgrims and tourists.

Konark is also known as Konaditya. The name Konark is derived form the words Kona - Corner and Arka - Sun; it is situated on the north eastern

Sun Chariot

corner of Puri or the Chakrakshetra. Konark is also known as Arkakshetra.

This temple built in 1278 CE by the Ganga  King Narasimha Deva  is one of the grandest temples of India and was referred to as the Black Pagoda. The ruins of this temple were excavated in late 19th century. The tower over the Garbagriha is missing, however the Jagmohana is intact, and even in this state, it is awe inspiring.

Legend has it that Samba, the king of Krishna and Jambavati entered the bathing chamber of Krishna’s wifes, and was cursed by Krishna with leprosy. It was decreed that he would be relieved of the curse by worshipping the sun God on the sea coast north east of Puri. Accordingly Samba reached Konaditya Kshetra and discovered an image of Surya seated on the lotus, worshipped him and was relieved of his curse.

It is said that the temple was not completed as conceived because the foundation was not strong enough to bear the weight of the heavy dome. Local beleif has it that it was constructed in entirety, however its magnetic dome caused ships to crash near the seashore, and that the dome was removed and destroyed and that the image of the Sun God was taken to Puri.

Sungod

The Temple: 

The Konark temple is widely known not only for its architectural grandeur but also for the intricacy and profusion of sculptural work. The entire temple has been conceived as a chariot of the sun god with 24 wheels, each about 10 feet in diameter, with a set of spokes and elaborate carvings. Seven horses drag the temple. Two lions guard the entrance, crushing elephants. A flight of steps lead to the main entrance.

The nata mandir in front of the Jagamohana is also intricately carved.  Around the base of the temple, and up the walls and roof, are carvings in the erotic style.  There are images of animals, foliage, men, warriors on horses and other interesting patterns. There are three images of the Sun God, positioned to catch the rays of the sun at dawn, noon and sunset.

Melakkadambur

The Melakkadambur Shiva temple, built in the form of a chariot during  the

age of Kulottunga Chola I (1075-1120),  is the earliest of this kind, and is still in a well preserved state.  It is believed that this temple set the pace for the ratha (chariot) vimana temples in India, as a distant descendant of Kulottunga I on the female line, and thefamous Eastern Ganga ruler Narasimha Deva, built the Sun Temple at Konark in the form of a chariot in the 13th century. Kulottunga Chola is also credited with having built the 

Suryanaar temple near Kumbhakonam. Temples dedicated to the Sun are not a common feature in the Tamil speaking region of the Indian subcontinent.

Kamasutra Temples, Khajuraho

Lord Ganesh statue

Besides the temples exemplary for their architecture and bold artistic statement, Khajuraho is just a small modest village with no more than 3000 residents surrounded by the forestland. As Khajuraho gets a fair number of tourists from all over the world every year, hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops have sprung up in large numbers at the entrances to the two distinctive groups of temples here. Aeroplanes are not a thing of curiosity for the villagers anymore and the emblem of a warrior fighting a lion single-handedly and with his bare hands seen frequently at the temples is said to be the depiction of the valiant warrior-king who was the head of the clan of the Chandela Rajputs who built the temples. Chandelas are believed to be the descendants of the Moon God himself. The construction of the temples is said to have started in the mid- 9th century and continued until the early 12th century and due to the lack of records of the building activity, the names of the thousands of sculptors, architects and masons, who must have contributed in their construction has been lost forever into obscurity.

Kamasutra Temples

Chandela dynasty had already lost its glory by the time the last temple was completed. Khajuraho was the capital of the Chandelas for a brief period but for most of the part, it was their religious center. However, there have been many theories regarding the sculptures adorning the facades and interiors of the Khajuraho temples. Some of them believe these temples to be centers of tantrik mysticism, which regards sex as an important part of human development and the attainment of the Absolute. Others believe that they were constructed as such to lure men and women back to the family and worldly life, which play an important part in Hinduism, from the austerities preached by the Buddha that were gaining favor with people of that time. Since thick forests surrounded these temples thus shielding them from the Muslim armies. T. S. Burt, the British engineer who re-discovered the temples in the mid-19th century found the sculptures offensive.

However, the local villagers and tribals have regularly

Kamasutra

used the temples ever since they were constructed, especially, the temple of Matangeshwar Mahadev for worshipping. It was General Alexander Cunningham who worked hard to gather details about them for the first time in his Survey of India reports. It was his efforts that stirred interest in people about the place. Later, the roads were constructed, facilities were provided for and luxury hotels were planned here and thus, started the resurrection of Khajuraho 

Ajanta and Ellora caves - greatest tourist attractions in India

Expect your curiosity about the Ajanta and Ellora caves to be answered during your visit to the historical site on you tour to India. Created during the span from the 2nd century BC to the 8th century AD, the caves of Ajanta and Ellora are two of the most appealing tourist destinations in India.

Located near the city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, the Ajanta and Ellora caves were discovered by a British Army Officer, named John Smith, with his group while they were on their hunting expedition in 1819. They were found lying amidst the Sahyadri hills, carved into the mountains, over the Waghora River. They demonstrate the story of Buddhism, covering a period from 200 BC to 650 AD. The 29 caves were constructed as retreats of the Buddhist monks, who sermonized and performed religious ceremonies in the Chaityas and Viharas.

Ajanta & Ellora Caves - 2nd century BC to 8th century AD

Some of the greatest tourist attractions in India, these caves have stunning figures carved out with the help of hammer and chisel by the saints. A lot of the caves display panels illustrating tales from the Jatakas - tales of the several incarnations of the Buddha. One can notice portrayals of nymphs and princesses among various other depictions.
Around 30 kms from Aurangabad are sited the 34 Ellora caves. They are engraved into the sides of a basaltic mount. The facades and finely decorated interiors show

Ajanta Caves - 30 Kms from Aurangabad

some of the excellent examples of cave - temple architecture. Carved during the 350 AD to 700 AD, these structures depict the three faiths of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The 17 of them in the centre are dedicated to Hinduism, 12 caves to the south to Buddhism and the 5 caves to the north to Jainism.
The Kailasa temple in Cave 16 is considered to be one of the finest architectural wonders with the entire composition chiseled out of a monolith.

This peak, believed to be the holy abode of Lord Shiva  is perhaps  the world’s largest monolith. Its pavilion, assembly hall, gateway,

sanctum and tower, are all created out of a single block. Unlike most of the other temple constructions that begin from the bottom, this sculpture starts from the very crown and the sides. The Dumar Lena cave, devoted to Lord Shiva, bears semblance to the famous cave - temple at Elephanta.

Ajanta & Ellora - most outstanding rock-cut caves in India

The Jain caves are positioned roughly a mile away from the Kailasa temple, among which Cave 32 has a stunning shrine decked with fine carved forms of a yakshi on a lion under a mango tree and a lotus flower on the roof. Caves 32 and 34 have the stately statues of Parasnath. The other Jain caves have the illustrations of Tirthankaras, and one of them, even flaunts a seated figure of Mahavira.

Bibi-Ka-Maqbara, Aurangabad Caves and Panchakki (WaterMill) are some of the other tourist attractions in Ajanta and Ellora.