As one of the wonders of Indian rich ancient heritage, Konark Sun Temple stands by the bay of Chandrabhaga. It’s on the coastline of Odisha’s geographical map. However, it still is the heart of Odisha tourism. With its awestruck beauty, Konark Sun Temple attracts a lot of tourists to Odisha.
Konark Sun temple is situated in the district of Puri, Odisha. It is away from Shri Jagannath Temple, Puri by 35 kilometers (22 mi) in the northeast. Besides the architecture and history, Konark Sea beach is also famous for attracting tourists towards itself.
Konark Sun Temple was built in under the observation of king Narasimhadeva I of the Gangas. The temple was built in a structure of a big chariot with immense wheels and horses. The most interesting fact is that the whole temple is made out of Stones only. Sometimes it’s hard to believe that how come stones weighing more than a ton could be lifted to such a height. Well, that’s Kalinga architecture. The height of the temple is approximately about 100-foot high (The remaining parts). With the actual temple, it’s more than 200-foot. It is located 60 kilometres to the Capital of Odisha, Bhubaneswar (The nearest Airport as well).
In the 12th century king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga was ruling over Kalinga. He was a devotee of Hindu God Surya. As the history says, 1200 laborers were hired for the building of this very temple. The present view of the temple is just the entrance hall to the temple. The actual temple has been destroyed over the time. As the people and theories say, it might be due to the natural calamities or by intentional attacks of Mughal Kingdom. A Hindu turned Muslim, Rajiv Lochan Ray (Famous with the name of Kalapahad), is said to be the original culprit behind the destruction of this monument.
In the year 1984, Konark Sun Temple was declared as the world heritage site by UNESCO. The place remained as the major tourist place for the Hindus as well as for the people from all over the world.
The best time to visit Konark is from October to February
Air: Bhubaneswar is the nearest airport – 65 kms. Indian Airlines has flights from Delhi, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Raipur, Hyderabad, Chennai and Mumbai
Rail: The nearest railheads are Bhubaneswar and Puri. 65 km from Bhubaneswar via pipili and 35 km from Puri on marine drive road
Road: Konark is connected by good all-weather motor able roads. Regular Bus services are operating from Puri and Bhubaneswar. Besides Public transport Private tourist bus services and taxis are also available from Puri and Bhubaneswar. For internal transport, Auto rickshaws and Cycle rickshaws are available near konark temple
Archaeological Museum
Chandrabhaga Beach Odisha
