Konark | |
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Town | |
  Konark Location in Odisha, India Show map of Odisha Konark Konark (India) Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:19°53′27″N86°06′01″E / 19.89083°N 86.10028°E /19.89083; 86.10028 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Odisha |
| District | Puri |
| Elevation | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
• Total | 15,015 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Odia |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | OD |
| Website | http://konark.nic.in |
Konark is a medium-sized town in thePuri district in the state ofOdisha,India. It lies on the coast by theBay of Bengal, 65 kilometres from the state capitalBhubaneswar.[1] It is the site of the 13th-centurySun Temple, also known as theBlack Pagoda, built in blackgranite during the reign ofNarasinghadeva-I. The temple is aWorld Heritage Site.[2] The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by theArchaeological Survey of India.
Konark is also home to an annual dance festival calledKonark Dance Festival, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Odisha,Odissi.[3] In February 2019, the Konark Dance Festival (now called Konark Music and Dance Festival) will be hosting its 33rd edition. The state government is also organising annual Konark Festival and International Sand Art Festival[4] atChandrabhaga Beach of Konark.
On16 February 1980, Konark lay directly on the path of a totalsolar eclipse.[5][6][7]
The nameKonârka is derived from theSanskrit wordKona (meaningangle) and wordArka (meaningsun) in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun godSurya.[8]
The Sun Temple was built in the 13th century and designed as a gigantic chariot of theSun God, Surya, with twelve pairs of ornamented wheels pulled by seven horses. Some of the wheels are 3 metres wide. Only six of the seven horse still stand today.[9] The temple fell into disuse after an envoy ofJahangir desecrated the temple in the early 17th century.[10]
According to folklore, there was a diamond in the centre of the idol which reflected the sun rays that passed. In 1627, the then Raja of Khurda took the Sun idol from Konark to the Jagannath temple in Puri. The Sun temple belongs to theKalingan school of Indian temple architecture. The alignment of the Sun Temple is along the east–west direction. The inner sanctum orvimana used to be surmounted by a tower orshikara but it was razed in the 19th century. The audience hall orjagamohana still stands and comprises majority of the ruins. The roof of the dance hall ornatmandir has fallen off. It stands at the eastern end of the ruins on a raised platform.[11]
In 1559, Mukunda Gajapati came to throne inCuttack. He aligned himself as an ally ofAkbar and an enemy of the Sultan of Bengal,Sulaiman Khan Karrani. After a few battles, Odisha finally fell. The fall was also aided by the internal turmoil of the state. In 1568, the Konark temple was damaged by the army ofKalapahad, a general of the Sultan.[12] Kalapahad is also said to be responsible for damages to several other temples during the conquest.
As of 2011 Indiacensus,[13] Konark had a population of 16,779. Males constitute 8,654 (52%) of the population and females 8,125 (48%).As of 2001 Census Konark has an average literacy rate of 57%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 64%, and female literacy is 49%. In Konark, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Konark can be reached via a number of routes:
In that sense the Feb 16, 1980 eclipse was a great awakener post Independence that created an unprecedented excitement among persons from all walks of life. The path of totality fell over places in India such as Hubli, Raichur, Nalgonda and Konark etc.
Konark travel guide from Wikivoyage.| International | |
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