KONARK: The Architectural Marvel
The name Konark is made of the two sanskrit words 'kona' and 'arka'. Kona means corner, and Arka means sun. There are three main sun temples built in India: Marthand Surya Temple (Jammu & Kashmir), Modhera Sun Temple (Gujarat), and Konark Sun Temple (Odisha). Konark Sun Temple is situated on the bank of the River Chandrabaga in Odisha, near Puri, the city of Lord Jagannath. It was built by the Ganga dynasty king Narasimhadeva, who was dedicated to the worship of Surya, the Sun God. It is a monumental representation of the sun god Surya's chariot; its 24 wheels are decorated with symbolic designs, and it is led by a team of six horses. The temple was so built that the first ray of the sun fell on the gigantic sun idol kept inside the main temple complex. There are mainly three types of architectural styles that existed in ancient India. Nagra style, or northern style; Dravidian style, or southern style; and Vesara style, or mixed style. Odisha was recognized ...