Introduction
The sight of an historical place reminds us of our past glory. Hence, we feel inspired and develop a nationalistic outlook. Orissa is full of historical places. Konarka is one of them. It is famous for the temple of the Sun-God. It was once a famous port on the bank of the river Chandrabhaga.
Situation
Konarka, the temple of the Sun-God of the Hindus is situated on the sands of the river Chandrabhaga. It is situated in Orissa in the district of Puri.
Historical reference
The temple of Konarka was made about seven hundred years back. It was made by the emperor Langula Narsingha Dev of the Ganga dynasty, who ruled his empire from his capital at Puri. Twelve hundred masons worked for sixteen years to complete the construction of this temple. This temple is unique in its architectural beauty.
Architectural importance
The famous temple of the Lord Jagannath at Puri is well known for its massiveness. The old temple of Shiva at Bhubaneswar is famous for its fine sculpture all over its body. Both the massivness of the Puri temple and the sculptural art of the Bhubaneswar temple have been blended together in the temple of Konarka. This temple had been shaped like the Sun’s chariot and based on the massive stone-wheels. Nothing, at present, remains of the eleven hundrd feet high temple except its frontispiece and the magnificent idols. The social behaviours of the ancient Orissa have been nicely depicted on the walls of the frontispiece.
Conclusion
Konarka is a famous historical place of Orissa. Here we know about the famous art and architecture of our ancient architects and sculptures. Here we know about the excellent behaviours of our ancient people. Here we know about our brave sailors of the past, who sailed from the port at Konarka. Every student of Orissa should visit this place at least once in his student life.
