Konark Sun Temple (13th century)....
Konark Sun Temple is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Odisha. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I (1238-1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is an example of Orissan architecture of the Ganga dynasty. The temple is one of the most renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site. It is one of the Seven Wonders of India (as per the poll collected by NDTV).
Legend has it that the temple was constructed by Samba, the son of Lord Krishna. It is said that Samba was afflicted by leprosy, brought about by his father’s curse on him. After 12 years of penance, he was cured by Surya, the Sun God, in whose honour he built the magnificent Konark Sun Temple.Located on the shoreline, now a little over 3 km from the sea, the temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the Sun God, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of the God's huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels at its base. The huge wheels carved at the base of the temple are one of the major attractions. The spokes of the wheels serve as sundials and the shadows cast by these can give the precise time of the day. The pyramidal roof soars over 30 m (98 ft) in height. The temple complex also contains erotic sculptures similar to the temple in Khajuraho.
The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body.Here lion is represented as pride and elephant is represented as money both money and pride crushes man. The temple symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun God. At the entrance of the temple is a Nata mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun God. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns. The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man."
Source : https://www.facebook.com/SreeguruBabajiMahavtarBabaji/photo
"Konark Sun temple is not only interesting for its majestic structure but also for the stories that lives in the folklore for ages. One of the stories that describes the construction of the temple is the story of a 12 year old bright kid who sacrificed his life to save twelve thousand craftsman.
Dharmapada grew up in a small nondescript village in Orissa in the 12th century. Right from his childhood he was interested in architecture and crafts and being the son of a great temple architect, Bisu Maharana, he had access to the manuscripts describing details of temple construction. By the time he turned 12, he had mastered the art of Odiya temple architecture.
But he was always sad as he had never seen his illustrious father and his mother would not tell him much about him. On his 12th birthday, he asked his mother a gift, the chance to meet his father, which she could not refuse anymore.
After a long journey a tired Dharmapada reached a deserted beach where the sight of a magnificent structure caught his attention. He knew immediately, this is the place where his father is building the biggest temple of the land dedicated to the Sun God. He rushed to the construction site and it did not take him long to spot his father. Behind the hugs and kisses Dharmapada could see something was troubling his father.
The temple was the biggest ever built by the famed craftsman of Orissa. 12 thousand of the best from the land had labored for 12 long years to build the sun temple. It was the pinnacle of craftsmanship, architecture and details ever put together. But the temple was not complete yet. The final key stone or the ‘Kalasha’ was yet to be placed on the temple. And these craftsman had failed multiple times and no body knew how to top the Kalasha. The king, Narshinghdev, had announced the deadline till the morning, failing which all the twelve thousand craftsman would be killed. And being the chief architect of the project, Bisu Maharana was upset for being the failure which could kill so many people.
Dharmapada asked his father to take him around the temple and show him the construction. As he reached the top of the temple, he remembered the manuscripts he had read about the temple construction. He knew he had the solution. He knew the design of the stone that would fit as the key stone and would hold the temple together. As he explained the design to his father, Bisu was pleasantly surprised. He was so proud to have a son as talented as Dharmapada.
The father and the son, immediately went in to the workshop and in couple of hours the ‘Kalasha’ was ready to be installed. As they rolled the stone on the sand slopes to the top of the temple, the moon was shining in its full glory. By mid night the key stone was in place and the temple was complete. Bisu was happy for his son who had managed to save thousands of lives.
As the euphoria of success subsided, Dharmapada heard a whisper among the people gathered around to see the completion of the temple. People feared the king would not be too kind to the failed craftsman as the Kalasha was completed by a 12 year kid and not by the craftsman themselves.
Dharmapada never wanted glory, name or fame for his achievements. He was happy he could save so may lives by completing the temple for the God. He slowly made his way though the crowd to the top of the temple. In no time he was standing on the top of the Kalasha he had just erected . He looked at the horizon as the first rays of the sun started touching the temple, as if the Sun God was showering his blessings. With tears in his eyes, Dharmapada jumped off the temple-top into the deep blue waters of the sea.
A young boy who achieved the ultimate glory for Odiya art , craft and architecture by completing the greatest temple ever built, sacrificed his life to save the life of others. After thousand years, the sun temple is ruined but Dharmapada still lives in the folklore and in the aspirations of every young craftsman of the region."
Source : http://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2010/12/konark-story-of-dharmapada-legend-and.html
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Konark Sun Temple is a 13th century Sun Temple (also known as the Black Pagoda), at Konark, in Odisha. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva I (1238-1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is an example of Orissan architecture of the Ganga dynasty. The temple is one of the most renowned temples in India and is a World Heritage Site. It is one of the Seven Wonders of India (as per the poll collected by NDTV).
Legend has it that the temple was constructed by Samba, the son of Lord Krishna. It is said that Samba was afflicted by leprosy, brought about by his father’s curse on him. After 12 years of penance, he was cured by Surya, the Sun God, in whose honour he built the magnificent Konark Sun Temple.Located on the shoreline, now a little over 3 km from the sea, the temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya (Arka), the Sun God, and is heavily decorated with stone carving. The entire complex was designed in the form of the God's huge chariot drawn by seven spirited horses on twelve pairs of exquisitely decorated wheels at its base. The huge wheels carved at the base of the temple are one of the major attractions. The spokes of the wheels serve as sundials and the shadows cast by these can give the precise time of the day. The pyramidal roof soars over 30 m (98 ft) in height. The temple complex also contains erotic sculptures similar to the temple in Khajuraho.
The entrance is guarded by two giant lions, which are each shown crushing a war elephant. Each elephant in turn lies on top of a human body.Here lion is represented as pride and elephant is represented as money both money and pride crushes man. The temple symbolizes the majestic stride of the Sun God. At the entrance of the temple is a Nata mandir. This is where the temple dancers used to perform dances in homage to the Sun God. All around the temple, there are various floral and geometric patterns. The temple is now partly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India. The poet Rabindranath Tagore wrote of Konark: "Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man."
Source : https://www.facebook.com/SreeguruBabajiMahavtarBabaji/photo
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The folklore story on construction of SUN TEMPLE at Konark goes as under :"Konark Sun temple is not only interesting for its majestic structure but also for the stories that lives in the folklore for ages. One of the stories that describes the construction of the temple is the story of a 12 year old bright kid who sacrificed his life to save twelve thousand craftsman.
Dharmapada grew up in a small nondescript village in Orissa in the 12th century. Right from his childhood he was interested in architecture and crafts and being the son of a great temple architect, Bisu Maharana, he had access to the manuscripts describing details of temple construction. By the time he turned 12, he had mastered the art of Odiya temple architecture.
But he was always sad as he had never seen his illustrious father and his mother would not tell him much about him. On his 12th birthday, he asked his mother a gift, the chance to meet his father, which she could not refuse anymore.
After a long journey a tired Dharmapada reached a deserted beach where the sight of a magnificent structure caught his attention. He knew immediately, this is the place where his father is building the biggest temple of the land dedicated to the Sun God. He rushed to the construction site and it did not take him long to spot his father. Behind the hugs and kisses Dharmapada could see something was troubling his father.
The temple was the biggest ever built by the famed craftsman of Orissa. 12 thousand of the best from the land had labored for 12 long years to build the sun temple. It was the pinnacle of craftsmanship, architecture and details ever put together. But the temple was not complete yet. The final key stone or the ‘Kalasha’ was yet to be placed on the temple. And these craftsman had failed multiple times and no body knew how to top the Kalasha. The king, Narshinghdev, had announced the deadline till the morning, failing which all the twelve thousand craftsman would be killed. And being the chief architect of the project, Bisu Maharana was upset for being the failure which could kill so many people.
Dharmapada asked his father to take him around the temple and show him the construction. As he reached the top of the temple, he remembered the manuscripts he had read about the temple construction. He knew he had the solution. He knew the design of the stone that would fit as the key stone and would hold the temple together. As he explained the design to his father, Bisu was pleasantly surprised. He was so proud to have a son as talented as Dharmapada.
The father and the son, immediately went in to the workshop and in couple of hours the ‘Kalasha’ was ready to be installed. As they rolled the stone on the sand slopes to the top of the temple, the moon was shining in its full glory. By mid night the key stone was in place and the temple was complete. Bisu was happy for his son who had managed to save thousands of lives.
As the euphoria of success subsided, Dharmapada heard a whisper among the people gathered around to see the completion of the temple. People feared the king would not be too kind to the failed craftsman as the Kalasha was completed by a 12 year kid and not by the craftsman themselves.
Dharmapada never wanted glory, name or fame for his achievements. He was happy he could save so may lives by completing the temple for the God. He slowly made his way though the crowd to the top of the temple. In no time he was standing on the top of the Kalasha he had just erected . He looked at the horizon as the first rays of the sun started touching the temple, as if the Sun God was showering his blessings. With tears in his eyes, Dharmapada jumped off the temple-top into the deep blue waters of the sea.
A young boy who achieved the ultimate glory for Odiya art , craft and architecture by completing the greatest temple ever built, sacrificed his life to save the life of others. After thousand years, the sun temple is ruined but Dharmapada still lives in the folklore and in the aspirations of every young craftsman of the region."
Source : http://www.sid-thewanderer.com/2010/12/konark-story-of-dharmapada-legend-and.html
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