Author: Debala Mitra
Publisher: Archaelogical Survey of India
Year: 2003
Language: English
Pages: 96
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8187780118
Description
This guidebook on the Sun Temple of Konarak is part of the World Heritage Series published by the Archaeological Survey of India.
The Sun Temple of Konarak, a monument of vivid architectural imagination, was conceived in the form of a mammoth, twelve-wheeled chariot drawn by seven galloping horses. Dedicated to Surya, the Sun-god, this temple on the coast of Orissa was built in the thirteenth century.
Although the tower of the sanctuary collapsed long ago, the Konarak Sun Temple is still a monument of colossal magnificence. What remains of the Sun Temple is the porch or jagamohana, which originally shared a platform with the sanctuary, and the pillared bhoga-mandapa in front. The entire structure is covered with a wealth of intricate sculpture which pulsates with life.
There is also a section on the other monuments of Orissa including Jagannatha Temple at Puri and the temples of Bhubaneswar. A brief Practical Information section give tourism-related information.
The guide to the Sun Temple at Konarak is part of the World Heritage Series being brought out by the Archaeological Survey of India. The temple, fashioned in the form of the chariot of Surya, the Sun-god, is a truly magnificent monument. The artisans of medieval Orissa embellished the shrine with twelve exquisitely-carved wheels and seven spiritual horses, besides an incredible number of sculptures.
There are explanations offered regarding what led to the collapse of the rekha deul or sanctuary at Konarak. The monument we see today is the jagamohana or the pidha deul, and the pillared bhoga-mandapa which is approached by a flight of carved steps. Of the sanctum, only the heavily-carved platform it shares with the jagamohana remains to bear testimony to the original glory of the Konarak Sun Temple.
The bas relief's, bold free-standing images of deities, panels of musicians and numerous nymphs and salabhanjikas on the exterior walls of the temple make the monument a rhapsody in stone.
Contents
Contents
Foreword
Legends and History
Architecture
Sculptural Art
Conservation
Sun Temple Complex
Adjoining Monuments
Mayadevi Temple
Vaishnava Temple
Subsidiary Structures
Other Monuments in Orissa
Dhauli
Udayagiri & Khandagiri Caves
Jagannatha Temple
Bhubaneswar
Practical Information
Further Reading
Glossary
Index