Enigmatic Konark : A Pictorial Tribute

‘‘Those who are critical and difficult to please, they stand astonished at this sight,’’ wrote Abul Fazal, the famous court historian of King Akbar—in ‘Ain-i-Akbari’ about the magnificance of Konark’s Sun Temple. He also described that the temple was built during the reign of King Narasimha I (1238-1264 AD). The account also mentions that 12000 artisans built the temple at the cost of 12 years of revenue.

Today this magnificent replica of Sun God’s chariot is in a bad shape, deteriorating daily, unable to resist the devastating rigors of time. It is an unfortunate fact that Konark is a victim of nature’s cruelty. Continuous stone erosion and weathering have already taken a toll and blunted the fineness of the delicately carved figurines. Soft stone is deteriorating fast due to salt action, wind, humidity, rain-water, algae and fungal growth. Whatever remains, remains is a very precarious state. 

In early 20^th century when Konark was dug out of the sand that had covered it for over two centuries, it was hailed as one of the most beautiful and unique architectural discovery. Historian Sir John Marshall was mesmerized and wrote, ‘‘There is no monument in Hindustan which is so stupendous and as perfectly proportioned as the Black Pagoda and none which leaves so deep an impression on the memory.’’ Sadly, the sands of time are once again slowly eroding remains of this wonderful structure.

My first introduction to Konark was through playwright Jagdish Chandra Mathur’s Hindi play ‘Konark’ which was in our syllabi. Since then I was longing to visit the historic temple. My dream became a reality only after more than 40 years.

Standing there, under cloudy skies, the beauty and grandeur of the Sun Temple of Konark left me awed and curious. It looks spellbinding. The thoughts about the missing links in temple’s life cycle automatically cropped up . . .  like an impossible jigsaw puzzle, the history of Konark is shrouded in mystery. Starting from its construction, consecration to collapse, legends and theories abound. Truth is no historian, archaeologist, researcher can claim with certainty the real story behind this world famous edifice.

Many stupendous and magnificent temples were built in Odisha between 7^th to 13^th century and many of them can be seen at Puri, Bhuvneshwar and other places. Temples built much before Konark are in better condition. Strangely no big temple was built in Odisha after Konark. Somehow all artisans too went missing or all royal patronage suddenly ceased. Another curious fact is no other temple of that period was built at a lonlely secluded location, far from the people. 

Here, I do not wish to discuss about the construction, history or destruction of this awesome structure as a large amount of information is already available. Pt. Sada Shiv Rathsharma—the first Oriya honoured with a ‘Padmashree’—has excavated many of the theories surrounding Konark in his book titled ‘Sun Temple of Konark’.

Today the reconstructed remains of this UNESCO World Heritage structure stands on a sprawling 12-acre patch close to the Bay of Bengal. Konark is, undisputedly, an example of elegance and beauty. The heightened level of creativity, the intricate carvings, the erotic scenes telling tales of creation and procreation and its architectural magnificence is a source of joy and sadness simultaneously.

According to experts, the entire structure, resembling a colossal chariot with 12 pairs of wheels (actually sundials which can be used to calculate time accurately), lavishly sculpted with symbolic motifs and pulled by seven horses, was so designed to let the first rays of the sun fall on the main entrance. What a wonderful design it would have been. When poet Rabindranath Tagore described it as ‘‘Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man,’’ how correct he was!

Standing there, I remembered few lines of renowned Odisha poet Jayanta Mahapatra’s poem ‘Konaraka’:

        ‘‘Konaraka, black is sleep cold become of my silent land

                            messenger of death.

         Here the little boy in a dream waved to the Man once and

                            death hung its peace;

         An indifferent time of stone marks the brunt-out funeral and

         The sunrise that journeys again and again to call

                            this grief of man its own.’’

×         ×         ×

        ‘‘I must carry the stone I found in the late afternoon light

         Me not think of myself only,
         And my pain which possesses

         These last breaths of my life.’’

One visit, few hours are not enough to appreciate or soak the essence of majestic Konark. Promise to visit again.

Useful links: 

http://asi.nic.in/asi_monu_whs_konark_conservation.asp

http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/eclipse-over-konark/206424
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbxpYkobawY