Day 243 of Indian places giving smiles- The sun temple of Konark.
The car drive from Puri to Konark was one of the most scenic experiences that I ever had. We were driving in the middle of the Balukhand Forest Reserve with the wild unspoilt greenery on both sides of us.
And for the last 7 kms towards Konark, we were driving almost parallel to the sea. As the name suggested we were on the Marine drive and passed by very famous beaches of Orissa. However, we were strictly warned not to go near the tempting waters, which can get unpredictably rough during this monsoon season!
We were at our next destination, the world famous Sun Temple of Konark. Our guide told us that this famous temple takes the form of the chariot of Surya the Sun God. From afar we could make out the design of the seven horses and the twelve chariot wheels at the base of the temple.
We were at the entrance gates, flanked by peculiar sculpture welcoming us. Two lions were shown crushing two elephants, which in turn were shown crushing two men. Our guide said that this means that mental intellect is more important than physical strength or ego. This was the entrance to the Nata Mandir or the dance hall where the temple dancers would perform dances in honour of the Sun God. The hall entrance has now been closed to the public and supporting props have been placed within to save it from crumbling down.
We decided to walk around the periphery of the base of the temple where almost every inch was covered with many carvings that gave us a vivid description of the how people lived in the society of those days of the 13th century! We saw images of women fashionably dressed with jewellery, mother-in-law fighting with daughter-in-law, children clinging to mother, etc.
But to my surprise over ninety percent of the carvings depicted the male and female form in different poses of eroticism. Our guide said that since most of the workers were young and not allowed to meet their families during the twelve years of its construction, they expressed their pent up feelings through these erotic sculptures. Besides this was also a way of protecting the temple, because there was a belief that Indira the God of lightning would not strike at any naked figure!
On examining each of the exquisitely decorated wheels, the guide showed that each of the spokes served as sun dials and the shadows cast by them would give the time of the day. One of the best preserved wheels, depicted the role of the women throughout the 24 hours of the day…waking up, being adorned by assistants, going for a joy ride on an animal, praying, dealing with kids and making lots of love through the night! Seems to be a simple life for women of those times!
On the three sides of the temple we saw huge images of the God in different stages of life…childhood, youth and old age. We walked along the expansive courtyard and saw the ruins of the temples of the wives of the Sun God – Saranya devi and Chayadevi. In fact most of the main temple itself is in ruins. This great temple was subjected to repeated attacks from subsequent rulers and also because of its close proximity to the sea; it had to bear the brunt of the ravages of nature and time!
Still I was able to imagine how glorious it must have been in its hey-days and then there was no botheration of persistent salesman trying to sell trinkets and local pearls and corals. I gave up. I just had to encourage them as tourism is one of the main sources of income for the locals of this relatively poor state of our country. And the coral bead long chain that i brought reluctantly here turned out to be a huge hit amd well apppreciated by my friends.
I left the place, quite enamored b y the experience. And for the first time in the trip, my father experienced the fatigue of having to walk quite a distance around the marvelous huge chariot temple!
So which Indian place made you smile today?
Please share your experience of Indian places that make you smile!
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