Sunday,  December 10, 2000		Heritage

—Rabindranath Tagore

THE crowning glory of our Orissan odyssey was a visit to the Sun Temple at Konark. Having savoured the serenity of foam-flacked beaches of Gopalpur-on-sea, the deep tranquility of Chilika lake; and the magnificent architectural glory of the temples at Bhubaneswar and Puri one wondered what could surpass such an experience? To our delight the Sun Temple managed to do that. No wonder, it is declared as a world heritage site by UNESCO.

The drive from Puri to Konark is through dense groves of cashewnut and casuarina trees interspersed with small hamlets, where one see artisans working on stone sculptures and other traditional arts of Orissa, such as applique, ikkat and silver filigree work.

Finally after a drive of about 2 hours from Puri, we were at Konark. We had decided to visit both destinations i.e. the temple at Jagannath Puri and Konark in one trip. It was already noon and the sun was hot, making us feel a little drowsy and hungry. So after a hearty lunch of rice, hot curries, and pappads at the Tourism Department’s restaurant and some coffee, we were ready to explore the famous temple.

As you enter the temple precincts through the traditional gateway, giant figures of war-horses magnificently sculpted in stone, greet you.

In the background can be seen series of structures rising in tiers in pyramidal formations and the entire monolith amidst lush green lawns, interspersed with the remains of some smaller shrines built from time to time. We began our explorations of this masterpiece of temple architecture led by a knowledgeable tourist guide. His singsong narratives in a baritone voice were both captivating and informative somewhat reminding us of the protagonist of Jhumpa Lahiri’s famous short story Interpreter of Maladies. But ours was an interpreter of the Sun Temple’s glory, whose passion for its beauty surpassed our capacity to absorb the information that he gave us.

The Sun Temple is the crowning glory of Orissan temple architecture, and one of the most significant monuments of religious architecture in the world. Though, now in ruins, it sits in solitary splendour surrounded by drifting sand. Today it is located 2 km from the sea, but originally the ocean came almost up to its base. Until fairly recent times, in fact, the temple was close enough to the shore to be used as a navigational point by European sailors, who referred to it as the Black Pagoda.

The temple was built by King Narasimhadeva in the 13th century. It was designed in the shape of a giant chariot, carrying the Sun God, Surya, across the heavens. Surya has been a popular deity in India since the Vedic period and is traditionally represented as a winged chariot, blazing its way through the heavens; thus providing inspiration for the bold architectural concept.

Equally amazing is the scale of the temple which even today leaves one awestruck. The exquisite beauty of this architectural marvel is not so apparent from the front but rather the sides, when its conceptual form of a ‘huge chariot’ on 12 giant intricately-carved wheels is seen. The immense size, with a 10-foot diametre, becomes evident when a tourist stands in front of it and you click a picture!

The main tower, which has now collapsed (or was never completed) originally followed the same general form as the towers of the Lingaraja and Jagannath temples.

Its height, however, exceeded both of them, soaring to 227 feet. The Jagmohan (porch) structure itself was more than 120 feet high. Both tower and porch are built on high platforms, around which are the 12 giant stone wheels of the chariot.

Besides the two main structures, at the base of the collapsed tower were three subsidiary shrines, which had steps leading to the images of Surya. Along the main edifices is the natamandira (hall of dance), in front of the temple. At either side of the main temple are colossal figures of royal elephants and royal horses.

It is still not known why Konark was chosen as the site of this temple. Konark was an important port from early times, and was known to the geographer Ptolemy in the second century AD. Though many popular legends abound, most scholars feel that Narasimhadeva, the builder of the temple, probably erected the temple as a victory monument, after a successful campaign against Muslim invaders.

The Sun Temple is also a chronicle in stone of the religious, military, social, and domestic aspects of the thirteenth century royal world. "The temple facades are laden with sculptures of an exquisite beauty and grace, in tableaux and freestanding pieces ranging from the monumental to the miniature. Myriad of images include deities, celestial and human musicians, dancers, lovers, and myriad scenes of courtly life, ranging from hunts and military battles to the pleasures of courtly relaxation. These are interspersed with birds, animals (close to two thousand charming and lively elephants march around the base of the main temple alone), mythological creatures, and a wealth of intricate botanical and geometrical decorative designs."Apart from its architectural and sculpture beauty, the temple is famous for its erotic sculptures, that are mainly seen on the second level of the porch structure.

As one views these explicit sculptures one notices that their theme is interspersed with tenderness and lyrical beauty and the divine grace. Scholars note that the same kindly and indulgent view of life extends to almost all the other sculptures at Konark, where the thousands of human, animal, and divine personages are shown engaged in the full range of the ‘carnival of life’ with an overwhelming sense of appealing realism".

In striking contrast to these, the three main images of Surya on the northern, western, and southern facades of the temple tower, carved in metallic green chlorite stone — in contrast to the soft weathered khondalite stone of the rest of the structure — stand in a formal frontal position which is often used to portray divinities in a state of spiritual equilibrium. "Although their dignity sets them apart from the rest of the sculptures, it is, nevertheless, a benevolent dignity, and one which does not include any trace of the aloof or the cold."

The temple; it stands aloof in its artistic majesty, as a grandiose monument to the free spirit and soaring imagination of its inspired builders.

The solidity of its construction methods was also tested when the devastating cyclone that hit Orissa last year could do no damage to the temple.

As we were walking out of the temple precincts, we realised that a day was too short a time to fully appreciate the richness of its architecture and art. Fortunately, now, every year a grand Konark Festival is organised in the first week of December, when the best of classical dancers from all over the country bring alive the timeless celebration of life against the backdrop of this magnificent architectural splendour.