Konark, The Sun Temple

" Time runs like a horse with seven reins, Thousand-eyed, unageing, possessing much seed. Him the poets mount; His wheels are all beings. " The Artharva Veda

If you visit only one temple in Orissa, it should be KONARAK. Standing imperiously in its compound of lawns and casuarina trees, 35km north of Puri on the coast road, this majestic pile of oxidizing sandstone is considered to be the apogee of Orissan architecture and one of the finest religious buildings anywhere in the world.

The temple is all the more remarkable for having languished under a huge mound of sand since it fell into neglect three hundred or so years ago. Not until early in the twentieth century, when the dune and heaps of collapsed masonry were cleared away from the sides, did the full extent of its ambitious design become apparent. In 1924, the earl of Ronaldshay wrote of the newly revealed temple as "one of the most stupendous buildings in India which rears itself aloft, a pile of overwhelming grandeur even in its decay". A team of seven galloping horses and 24 exquisitely carved wheels found lining the flanks of a raised platform showed that the temple had been conceived in the form of a colossal chariot for the sun god Surya, its presiding deity. Equally sensational was the rediscovery among the ruins of some extraordinary erotic sculpture. Konarak, like Khajuraho, is plastered with loving couples locked in ingenious amatory postures drawn from the Kama Sutra - a feature that may well explain the comment made by one of Akbar's emissaries, Abul Fazl, in the sixteenth century: "Even those who are difficult to please," he enthused, "stand astonished at its sight."

Apart from the temple, a small museum and a fishing beach, Konarak village has little going for it. In recent years, a few cafés and hotels have mushroomed around its dusty bus stand to service the stream of bus parties that buzz in and out during the day. Sundays and public holidays are best avoided if you're hoping for some peace and quiet. Aim to be around at sunset after most of the tour groups have left, when the rich evening light works wonders on the natural colours in the khondalite sandstone.

Some history
Inscription plates attribute the founding of the temple to the thirteenth-century Ganga monarch Narasimhadeva, who may have built it to commemorate his military successes against the Muslim invaders. Local legend attributes its aura of power to the two very powerful magnets said to have been built into the tower, with the poles placed in such a way that the throne of the king was suspended in mid-air.

The temple's seventy-metre tower became a landmark for European mariners sailing off the shallow Orissan coast, who knew it as the "Black Pagoda", and the frequent incidence of shipping disasters along the coast was blamed on the effect of the aforesaid magnets on the tidal pattern. The tower also proved to be an obvious target for raids on the region. In the fifteenth century, Konarak was sacked by the Yavana army; though unable to raze the temple or destroy its deity, which had been smuggled away by the priests to Puri, the marauding Muslims nevertheless managed to damage it sufficiently to allow the elements to get a foothold. As the sea receded, sand slowly engulfed the building and salty breezes set to work on the spongy khondalite, eroding the exposed surfaces and weakening the superstructure. According to local legend, the removal of the magnets would cause the temple to crumble. Indeed, by the end of the nineteenth century, the tower had disintegrated completely, and the porch lay buried up to its waist, prompting one art historian of the day to describe it as "an enormous mass of stones studded with a few peepal trees here and there".

Restoration only really began in earnest at the start of the twentieth century. After putting an end to the activities of the local raja, who had been plundering the ruins for masonry and sculpture to use on his own temple, British archeologists set about unearthing the immaculately preserved hidden sections of the building and salvaging what they could from the rest of the rubble. Finally, trees were planted to shelter the compound from the corrosive winds, and a museum opened to house what sculpture was not shipped off to Delhi, Calcutta and London. Today, Konarak is one of India's most visited ancient monuments, and the flagship of Orissa Tourism's bid to promote the area as an alternative to the "golden triangle" of Delhi, Agra and Jaipur.

The Temple
The main entrance to the temple complex (daily 9am-6pm; Rs250 [Rs10]) on its eastern, sea-facing side brings you out directly in front of the bhoga-mandapa, or "hall of offerings". Ornate carvings of amorous couples, musicians and dancers decorating the sides of its platform and stocky pillars suggest that the now roofless pavilion, which was a later addition to the temple, must originally have been used for ritual dance performances.

To get a sense of the overall scale and design, stroll along the low wall that bounds the south side of the enclosure before you tackle the ruins proper. As a giant model of Surya's war chariot, the temple was intended both as an offering to the Vedic sun god and as a symbol for the passage of time itself - believed to lie in his control. The seven horses straining to haul the sun eastwards in the direction of the dawn (only one is still intact) represent the days of the week. The wheels ranged along the base stand for the twelve months, each with eight spokes detailed with pictures of the eight ideal stages of a woman's day. Originally, a stone pillar crowned with an image of Aruna, Surya's charioteer, also stood in front of the main door, though this has since been moved to the eastern gateway of the Jagannath temple in Puri.

With the once-lofty sanctuary tower now reduced to little more than a clutter of sandstone slabs tumbling from the western wing, the porch, or jagamohana, has become Konarak's real centrepiece. Its impressive pyramidal roof, rising to a height of 38m, is divided into three tiers by rows of uncannily lifelike statues - mostly musicians and dancers serenading the sun god on his passage through the heavens. Among the figures on the bottom platform are a four-headed, six-armed Shiva as Nataraja, garlanded with severed heads and performing the dance of death. Though now blocked up, the huge cubic interior of the porch was a marvel of medieval architecture. The original builders ran into problems installing its heavy ornamental ceiling, and had to forge ten-metre iron beams as support - a considerable engineering feat for the time. Amazingly elaborate sculpture embellishes the temple's exterior with a profusion of deities, animals, floral patterns, bejewelled couples, voluptuous maidens, mythical beasts and aquatic monsters. Some of Konarak's most beautiful erotica is to be found in the niches halfway up the walls of the porch, where a keen eye may be able to spot the telltale pointed beards of sadhus, clearly making the most of a lapse in their vows of chastity. Bawdier scenes also appear in miniature along the sides of the platform and around the two remaining intricate doorframes on the main building - just look for the groups of tittering teenagers. Many theories have been advanced over the years to explain the phenomenon. In Konarak's case, it seems likely that the erotic art was meant as a kind of metaphor for the ecstatic bliss experienced by the soul when it fuses with the divine cosmos - a notion central to Tantra and the related worship of the female principle, shakti, which were prevalent throughout medieval Orissa.

Moving clockwise around the temple from the south side of the main staircase, you pass the intricately carved wheels and extraordinary friezes that run in narrow bands above and below them. These depict military processions (inspired by King Narasimhadeva's tussles with the Muslims) and hunting scenes, and feature literally thousands of rampaging elephants. In the top frieze along the south side of the platform, the appearance of a giraffe is proof that trade with Africa took place during the thirteenth century. Beyond the porch, a double staircase leads up to a shrine containing a statue of Surya. Carved out of top-quality green chlorite stone, this serene image - one of three around the base of the ruined sanctuary tower - is considered one of Konarak's masterpieces. Notice his characteristic tall riding boots and the little figure of Aruna, the charioteer, holding the reins of the seven horses at his feet. The other two statues in the series are also worth a look, if only to compare their facial expressions which, following the progress of the sun around the temple, change from wakefulness in the morning (south) to heavy-eyed weariness at the end of the day (north). Before working your way around the far side of the porch, you can also climb down into the remains of the sanctum sanctorum where the deity was once enshrined. At the foot of the western wall there's an altar-like platform covered with carving: the kneeling figure in its central panel is thought to be King Narasimhadeva, the donor of the temple.

In early December, the temple hosts one of India's premier dance festivals, drawing an impressive cast of both classical and folk dance groups from all over the country. For the exact dates, line-up and advance bookings, contact OTDC in Bhubaneswar (0674/243 1299) or Delhi (011/2336 4580).

The Village and Around
Some way outside the compound, near the Yatri Niwas hotel (see "Practicalities"), the archeological museum (daily 9am-5pm; Rs5) has lost most of its best pieces to Delhi, but has retained fragments of sculpture, much of it erotic. Outside, a small shed in the northeast corner of the enclosure houses a stone architrave bearing images of nine planet deities, the Navagrahas, which originally sat above one of the temple's ornamental doorways and is now kept as a living shrine.

Konarak's own beach, 3km down the Puri road, was once picturesque but remains thoroughly windswept and forlorn following the impact of the 1999 cyclone in October. Although far from ideal for swimming or sunbathing, it's still a good place to wander in the evening or watch the local fishing fleet at work.

Practicalities
The easiest way to get to Konarak from Puri, 33km down the coast, is by bus or Jeep. There are regular services in both directions and the journey only takes an hour or so, which makes it possible to do the round trip in a day - the last bus back to Puri leaves at 6.30pm. If you've got a bit more cash to spend, an auto-rickshaw will do the return journey for Rs250-300 including waiting time. Buses from Bhubaneswar are much less frequent and take between two and four hours to cover the 65km (with a change at Pipli), depending on whether you catch the one direct express "tourist" bus, which leaves from the town stand at 10am. Alternatively, you could join one of OTDC's tours which leave from the Panthaniwas in Bhubaneswar (Tues-Sun 6.30am-6.30pm; Rs130, a/c Rs160), with stops at Konarak, Bhubaneswar and Dhauli. The OTDC tourist office in Konarak is in the Yatri Niwas hotel (06758/236821; Mon-Sat 10am-5pm); staff can help with information on local festivals and tour.

With Puri only an hour down the road, few people end up staying in Konarak. There is, however, some accommodation here, convenient if you want to spend the night somewhere a little more peaceful, or enjoy the temple at a more leisurely pace. Not far from the main entrance to the monuments, the OTDC Panthaniwas (06758/236831; Rs150–500) offers dark but clean and reasonably priced rooms with a/c and hot water. They also run the reasonable Travellers' Lodge (06758/236820; Rs150–500), tucked behind the pleasant OTDC Yatri Niwas (06758/236820; Rs150–500), which has mosquito nets (essential), a restaurant and coloured fountains in the gardens. The manager here boasts an impressive knowledge of local history and the temple itself. The Labanya Lodge (06758/236824, labanyalodge1@rediffmail.com; Below Rs150), a little out of the village on the beach road, is the most backpacker-friendly place, with a small garden and Internet access.

For food you have a choice between the row of thali and tea stalls opposite the temple or a more substantial meal in one of the hotel restaurants. The Panthaniwas' very popular and inexpensive Geetanjali café serves the usual range of veg and rice dishes. The Yatri Niwas is also open to non-residents and is likely to be packed out at lunchtime with tour parties, all tucking into a good Orissan thali. The Sun Temple Hotel is the best of the dhabas.

If you are planning to visit Bhubaneswar you can refer the Bhubaneswar Accomodation Guide . If you have any other queries reagarding Konark you can ask the Bhubaneswar City Expert.