Feature

Visit to
Sun Temple

Shatabdi Biswas

Situated at Konark city in the eastern part of Orissa in India, a glimpse of the Sun temple was what I longed for during my visit to India; It is famous worldwide for its intricate sculptures and carvings. And after long moments of persuasion I managed to make my father agree to go to Konark.

The Sun Temple was built by Narsinhadeva of Ganga dynasty in the 13th century. But there are also myths which say that lord Krishna's son Samba had leprosy and the Surya deity cured him. Consequently in honour of the Sun God, Lord Samba built this temple. The sun temple symbolizes a chariot with twenty-four wheels driven by seven horses.

Its gigantic size and beautiful statues on each side of the temple will amaze a visitor. The front entrance consists of a lion on each side that stirred in me a sense of fear. One of the facts about the Sun Temple is that it has been included in the UNESCO world heritage site project. I had to go through a tiresome walk with my family to the staircase of the temple but it all paid off in the end by the pleasing view of the temple.

One of the security guards informed me that this temple was dug out to the surface of the earth. The spacious garden with elephant statues and the warhorses made this area a true wonder. These statues existed to recreate an impression of the immense power of these massive animals.

The Sun Temple pictures- the Sun God riding upon the horses, which was on the left; right and at the back of the temple astonished me. There was also a sculpture of the Surya deity on the front side, but it has been sealed.

The southern God of the temple called "Mitra" is the Rising Sun, the western God called "Punsan" is the mid-day sun and the northern God called "Haritasva" is the setting sun.

Being entirely made of stone, the Sun Temple is a mixture of the aspects of life and its scene is described in the impressive stone carvings.

After some further sightseeing I came back from Konark and my visit at last ended with a wish in my heart to restore our beautiful artifacts and historical monuments.

I would like to end with a thought for you. "Why can't we preserve our archeological structures? They show our enriched history and thus they can be a great source of tourist attraction. Is it not truly necessary?"

(Regional Public Administration Training Centre)