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11 Unbelievable Facts About Konark Sun Temple

1. Wheel of chariot work as sundial

The wheel of chariot of Konark Sun Temple was made and established in such a way that it can tell you the time.

There are total 8 spokes in the wheel.

Each spoke represents a pahar (3 hours). Eight spokes represents 24 hours.

Shadow of the spokes tells the time when sun rays falls on it.

This is the method used to calculate time before watches were introduced.

Some experts can even tell time accurate to minutes by watching this wheel only.

2. Unbelievable view during dawn or sunrise

When you will see the temple from outside during dawn or sunrise, you will notice that the chariot-shaped temple appears to be emerging from the depths of the blue sea carrying the sun.

Here is the image

3. Stone used in making this temple were not available in India

The stones used for making this temple were brought from outside the India. Most probably the sea rout was used for bringing the stones from other countries.

This shows that the India used to trade with other countries even at that time.

Konark Sun Temple was made by using three types of stones namely chlorite, laterite and, khondalite.

4. 12 pairs of wheels define the twelve months of the Hindu calendar.

There are total twelve pair of wheels in the chariot. These twelve pairs define twelve months of Hindu Calendar.

The two wheels of pair defines Shurka Paksha and Krishna Paksha of a month.

5. Konark Sun Temple as a landmark for sailors

 Earlier the temple used to be at the shore of Bay of Bengal, but with time the water of the ocean got away from the temple.

At that time, the temple was used as a landmark for the sailors of Bay of Bengal.

6. Much of the temple is now in ruins

Yes, it is true that much of the temple is now in ruins. Many people believe that the temple was damaged due to natural disasters, while some believe that the muslims destroyed them while they were ruling in India.

But the reason is still unknown.

Moreover, the temple that exists today was restored due to the conservation efforts of British India-era archaeological teams.

7. Planning and construction records are preserved

Konark Sun Temple is among those few temples of India whose construction and planning records have been preserved. These records were written in the Sanskrit language in Odiya Script. And has been preserved in the form of palm-leaf manuscripts.

These records were discovered in a village in 1960’s and then were translated after some time.

8. Jewelry quality miniature details

Some of the walls and scriptures of the temple are carved in very detail. Some are even finished to jewelry quality miniature details.

The major works of art includes sculptures of Hindu deities (God), apsaras, birds, animals, aquatic creatures, legendary creatures and friezes narrating the Hindu texts.

9. Special meaning in Name of the temple

The name Konark came from the combination of two sanskrit words kona and ark.

Meaning of Kona is angle and the meaning of ark is sun.

10. Name of the seven horses of chariot are very unique

Name of the seven horses of chariot are Gayatri, Brihati, Ushnih, Jagati, Trishtubha, Anushtubha, and Pankti.

These horses are named after the seven meters of Sanskrit prosody.

11. Wealth and power symbol outside the Konark Sun Temple

Outside the temple, there are two identical sculptures. These sculptures shows a lion which is crushing an elephant and that elephant crushing a man. Below is the image.

Here lion represents power, elephant represents wealth.

The illustration shows the major problem faced by man in this life that is money and power.

Further Reading – 12 Surprising Facts About Hawa Mahal

So, these were the most interesting facts about Konark Sun Temple. If you enjoyed reading please appreciate us in the comment section.

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