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The Konark Sun Temple is located on the eastern coast of India in Puri, Odisha. It is a popular temple in India dedicated to the sun god and known for its architecture and historical and cultural significance. In Hindu mythology, the sun deity Surya Dev is worshipped for good and healthy life. Moreover, the temple is beautifully adorned with intricate carvings and contains cultural and spiritual significance. If you are planning a trip to the Konark Sun Temple, here are some interesting facts that you need to know! Read till the end to learn useful information about the Konark Sun Temple in English.
Important Historical and Mathematical Facts About Konark Sun Temple
1. The word Konark means corner or angle and sun (ark) in Sanskrit.
2. The Konark Sun Temple is dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya, one of the major deities in Hinduism.
3. The monument is a representation of the sun god Surya’s chariot.
4. Konark Sun Temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
5. Years ago, sailors in the Bay of Bengal used the Konark Sun temple as a landmark. European sailors called it the Black Pagoda.
6. Experts believe that Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty commissioned the temple somewhere around 1250 CE.
7. Bisu Maharana was the chief architect of the temple.
8. The Konark Sun Temple is constructed using there types of stones like chlorite, laterite, and khondalite.
9. The temple spread across 12 acres and took about 12 years to complete.
10. The seven horses of the Konark Sun Temple have names like Gayatri, Brihati, Ushnih, Jagati, Trishtubha, Anushtubha, and Pankit.
11. The names of the seven horses are derived from the seven meters of Sanskrit poetry.
12. The Konark Sun temple is full of intricate and detailed carvings of Hindu deities, apsaras, birds, sea creatures, animals, and mythical creatures.
13. The first rays of the sunshine fall on the temple’s main entrance.
14. Each wheel of the chariot located in the Konark Sun temple has eight spokes, representing a pahar or 3 hours. In this way, eight spokes represent 24 hours. By carefully watching the shadows of these spokes, we can easily tell the time.
15. The 12 stone-carved wheels of the temple represent the 12 months of a year.
FAQs
One amazing secret of the Konark Sun Temple is its sun idol which is suspended in the air due to the use of magnets during its construction.
One special feature of the Konark Sun Temple is that each of the wheels in the chariot has eight spokes, representing 3 hours. Therefore, eight spokes represent 24 hours. In this way, we can easily tell the time.
It is believed that Narsimha I constructed the Konark Sun Temple. The town and the temple are associated with numerous legends of Samba, the son of Hindu deity Krishna, who was cured of leprosy by the blessing of the Hindu son god.
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