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TheHistoryoftheKonarkSunTemple

TheHistoryoftheKonarkSunTemple
September17,2014bySunilDaman

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ReproducedwithpermissionfromAllAboutBharat.
Anexplorationofthehistory,legends,architectureandtravelinformationoftheKonarkSun
Temple,inOrissa,India,aUNESCOWorldHeritageSite.
TheSunTempleofKonarkstandsattheendofadesertedstretchofcoastinOdisha,attheBayof
Bengal.Sailorsofyoreusedthistempleasanavigationalaidforcenturies.Itwasknownasthe
BlackPagoda,whichdistinguisheditfromtheWhitePagodatheJagannathTemple32
kilometersfurtherupthecoastatPuri.ThoughtheSunTemplestandsnearlythreekilometers
fromtheoceantoday,whenitwasbuilt800yearsago,itstoodattheveryedgeofthesea.Thereis
somethingrawabouttheentireambienceoftheplace.Stormsandseawindsbatteritsstonewalls
andsaltandsandcutawayanderodeitasthetempleappearstobegraduallymeltingawayintothe
sand.
SunworshipisverysignificanttoIndians.ThestandarddailyprayerofbrahminsistheGayatri
mantra,addressedtothesun.ThepracticeofSuryaNamaskarorSunSalutationisalsoan
importantpartofyogicpractice.

TheLegend
Historianshavebeenunabletounearthanyclearreasonastowhyatemplewaserectedhere,but
manylegendshavecomeuptofillthisgap.ThemostpopularonetellsthetaleofKrishnasson,
Samba,whowastooproudofhisbeauty.Soproudinfact,thatheoncemadefunofsageNarada,a
personwhowasnotallthatgoodlooking.NaradaplottedhisrevengeandluredSambaintoapool
wherehisstepmotherswerebathinginjoyfulabandon.WhenitcametoKrishnasnoticethathis
sonwasmisbehavingwithhiswives,hecursedhimwithleprosy.Realizinglaterthattheinnocent
boyhadbeentrickedbyNaradascunning,Krishnawasmortified.Buthecouldnotrevokehis
curse.AllhecoulddowasadvisehissontoworshipthesungodSurya,healerofalldiseases,and
hopeforacure.Aftertwelveyearsofpenanceandworship,SambawasatlastinstructedbySurya
togoandbatheintheseaatKonark.Hedidsoandwascuredofhisawfulaffliction.Sambawasso
delightedthathedecidedthereandthentoerectaSuryatempleonthespot.ItwascalledKonarka,
PlaceoftheSun,fromwhichthemodernnamecomes.

TheHistory
HistoricalfacthasalwaysbeeninterwovenwithmythinIndia,andtheremaybeaninteresting
connectionhere.WeknowthatthetemplewasactuallybuiltbyakingofthemedievalGanga
dynasty,NarasinghaDeva(12381264).Thekingwaspopularlyknownaslangulia,theonewitha
tail.OneexplanationisthatNarasinghabuiltthetempletocommemoratehisvictoriesoverthe
Muslims,whowerepushingintoOdishafromthewest.Weknowthatduringhisreignhewonat
leastthreeresoundingvictoriesovertheinvaders.
Bytheendofthesixteenthcentury,KonarkwasfamousfarbeyondthebordersofOdishaandhad
becomeagreatcenterofpilgrimageandattractedthepraiseofevensuchadiscriminatingcriticas
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AbulFazl,thecourtbiographerofAkbar.Hetellsus:NearJagannath(Puri)isatemplededicated
tothesun.Itscostwasdefrayedbytwelveyearsrevenueoftheprovince.Eventhosewhose
judgmentiscritical,standastonishedatthesight.28templesstandinitsvicinitysixbeforethe
entranceand22withintheenclosure,eachofwhichhasitsseparatelegend.
Thosedaysaregone.Allthatnowremainsishalfthemaintemple,andeventhatisdamaged.
Nevertheless,thismerefragmentofKonarksformergloryconstituteswhatisoftenconsideredto
bethemostimpressivetempleinnorthernIndia.
ThestoryistoldthatNarasinghaDevawasdelightedwiththeachievementofhiscraftsmen.One
day,thekingdecidedtoseehowthebuildingoftheSunTemplewasprogressing.Hedisguised
himselfandwanderedaboutthesite,incognito,lookinghereandtheretoseethattheworkwasto
hissatisfaction.Inonecornerofthevastcamphecameacrossafamouscraftsman,absorbedin
carvingoutablockofstone.Thisartisthadanattendant,ayoungapprenticewhosesolejobwasto
squatbehindthemasterandsupplyhimwithrefreshmentwheneverheneededit.Thisrefreshment
wasintheformofpanbetelleafwrappedaroundabitterandheadymixtureofchoppedarecanut,
chewingtobacco,andlime.
Thekingmotionedtotheattendanttomove,andsilentlytookhisplace.Soabsorbedwasthe
master,thathedidnotnoticeanythinghadhappenedbehindhim.Afterawhile,hestretchedback
hishandformorepan.Theking,whohadbeengazingentrancedatthebeautifulworkbeingdone,
quicklygotouthisownpanboxoffinestsilver,tookoutabundledleaf,andputitinthe
outstretchedhand.Thecraftsmanpoppedthepaninhismouthandwentonworking.Forafew
momentsnothinghappened,butthenhesuddenlyrealizedthatthepanhewaschewingwasofa
farhigherqualitythannormal.Turningaroundtofindoutwhatwasgoingon,herecognizedthe
faceofhisking.Splutteringprofuseapologies,thesculptorprostratedhimselfbeforethesquatting
monarch.ButNarasinghaDevawouldhavenoneofit.Risingtohisfeet,helifteduptheartisanand
thenboweddownlowbeforehim,saying:Maharaj!Youaresotalented,youareindeedworthyto
havethekingasyourattendant!
ItissaidthatgiganticmagnetswithinthetempleensuredthatthemetallicdeityofSuryaremained
suspendedinmidair.However,whenMuslimarmiesthreatenedthekingdomafewcenturiesafter
itwasbuilt,thelocalmaharajaremovedthecultimageofSuryafromthesanctuaryanditwas
takentoPuriforsafety.OncetheMuslimarmiesinvaded,theplacefellintototalneglect.
Thedecaywasgradual.Evenin1848,acornerofthetowerstillstoodtoaconsiderableheight.In
1820thiswasabout35metersaccordingtotheScotstravelerA.Stirlingwhosawitthen.The
EnglisharchitectMarkhamKittoe,writingin1838,estimatedithaddiminishedto80or100feet,
andhasatadistancetheappearanceofacrookedcolumn.Butthisbraveremnantwasnottolast
long.Tenyearslater,in1848,itwasblowndowninaferociousgale.WhentheIndianwriter
RajendralalaMitravisitedthesiteafteranothertwentyyears,eventhesanctuaryoverwhichthe
proudshikharahadtoweredwasreducedtoanenormousmassofstones,studdedwithafewpipal
treeshereandthere.Theporchthatpartofthetemplestillstandingsufferedmorefromthe
handsofmanthanfromtheelements.ThechiefvillainofthepiecewasaRajaofKurda,whotooka
particularlikingtothechloriteslabsthatdecoratedthefacadeofthebuilding.Again,onthespot
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evidencecomesfromKittoe.
TheKurdaRajahasdemolishedallthreeentrancesandisremovingthestonestoPurithemasons
pickoutthefiguresandthrowthemdowntotaketheirchancesofbeingbrokenwhichmostof
themare.Thesetheyleaveonthespotthosethatescapeuninjuredaretakenaway.Norwerethe
localpeopleaversetohelpingthemselvestotheironclamps,forthesakeofthemetal.
Fortunately,thisvandalismwasstoppedbyorderofthegovernmentin1838.Thestoryofthe
conservationandrepairofthetemplehasbecomeaninextricablepartofitsmyth.Sadly,theearly
partofthestoryisaclassictaleofbureaucraticbungling.Thefirstsuggestiontorepairtheruin
camefromtheunlikelydirectionoftheMarineBoard.In1806theysubmittedaproposaltohave
thetemplerepairedsothatitcouldoncemorebeausefulnavigationallandmarkfortheshipsin
theBayofBengal!Butthegovernmentconsideredtheexpenseinvolvedtobetoogreat.
ThiswasagainthereasongivenbythedeputygovernorofBengalin1838,whenherefusedtodo
anythingtopreservethetemple.In188283,somejungleclearancewasundertakenandafew
statuesmountedonplatformsaroundthesite,butinthewrongplace.In1892,Lieutenant
GovernorSirCharlesElliotrefusedtograntanymoneyforrestoration,thoughsomeindividual
piecesofsculpturewereshiftedtotheCalcuttaMuseumacoupleofyearslater.Elliotdidsuggest
thatsomedebrisbeclearedfromtherearoftheporch,butthiswasnotdone,becausethe
superintendentengineerthoughtthatsuchactionwouldweakenwhatremainedofthebuilding.
Thusahundredyearswerewastedbeforeanyconstructiveactionwastakentoimprovethesite.In
1900SirJohnWoodburn,thenewlieutenantgovernor,visitedKonarkandimmediatelyissuedan
orderthatrepairandrestorationshouldbeginwithoutfurtherdelay.
Periodicrenovationstookplacewellintothetwentiethcentury.Thelatestsurveywasbyan
internationalteamfromUNESCOwho,in1980producedtheextraordinarysuggestionthatthe
entiretempleshouldbecoveredinacoatoffiberglasstoprotectitfromthemarchoftime.

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