Konark Sun Temple - कोणार्क सूर्य मंदिर

UNESCO world heritage site Konark Sun Temple is dedicated to Bhagwan Shri Sury Dev. Marks the highest point of achievement of Kalinga architecture depicting the grace, the joy and the rhythm of life all its wondrous variety.

Konark also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture. In European sailor accounts, this temple was called the Black Pagoda as early as 1676 because its great tower appears, red-black. it remains a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, every year around the month of February the Chandrabhaga Mela occurs.

The upper levels and terrace of the Konark Sun temple contain larger and more significant works of art than the lower level. These include images of musicians and mythological narratives as well as sculptures of Hindu deities, including Mata Durga in her Mahishasuramardini aspect killing the shape-shifting buffalo demon (Shaktism), Vishnu in his Jagannatha form (Vaishnavism), and Shiva as a (largely damaged) linga (Shaivism).

Sun temple is oriented towards the east so that the first rays of the sunrise strike the main entrance. It is built from Khondalite rocks, was originally constructed at the mouth of the river Chandrabhaga, but the waterline has receded since then. The wheels of the temple are sundials, which can be used to calculate time accurately to a minute.

Religion is frequently at the centre of the Odia cultural expression, and Konark occupies an important space in it as part of The Golden Triangle (Jagannath Temple Puri, and the Lingaraja Temple of Bhubaneswar completing it) which represents the pinnacle of Odia masonry and temple architecture.

The new 10 rupees notes will have motif of the Sun Temple and the Konark on the reverse side, depicting the country's cultural heritage.

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