Konark Sun Temple

The Konark Sun Temple was built by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty in 1250 CE, on the Bay of Bengal coast 65 km from Bhubaneswar. The temple was designed as a colossal chariot of the sun god Surya, with 24 elaborately carved stone wheels (each 3.7 metres in diameter) along the base and seven horses (representing the seven days of the week) pulling the chariot. The original 70-metre main shikhara (vimana) collapsed in the 19th century but the surviving Jagamohana (audience hall) and Natya Mandapa (dance pavilion) remain intact. The temple's exterior is covered in thousands of carved figures — celestial dancers, musicians, mythological scenes, and the famously erotic mithuna couples that are characteristic of late-Kalinga temple art. The temple was abandoned in the 16th century after invasions and the silting of the harbour. UNESCO inscribed Konark in 1984. The annual Konark Dance Festival (December) on the temple grounds features classical dance from across India. The Konark Beach 3 km away is the southernmost stop on the Konark-Puri-Bhubaneswar 'Golden Triangle' of Odisha tourism.