Konarak or Konaditya is one of the four principal kshetras of Orissa. A line from Hindus famous, Brahma Purana – Chapter
28, Verse 9 and 18 says, “On the sacred and pleasant seashore covered with sand in the nice county (of Orissa) stay the Sun God of thousand rays known as Konaditya (Konarak), the giver of environment and liberation”. It is 21 miles northeast of Jagannath Puri. It is called Kona (corner) Arka (Sun) as it is
situated on the northeastern corner of Puri. By the side of it there is a dried up river Chandrabhaga, a branch of the Prachi River. Here there is the celebrated and magnificent temple of the Sun God built in 1278A.D. It is called a Black Pagoda by the marines. It was dug out of sand in 1893A.D when its architectural beauty became widely known and appreciated.
‘Kapila Samhita’, which deals exhaustively with these four kshetras, states that Konarak is situated in the Maitreya Vana’. King Nara Simha built it. Even when there is a faith that if a leper with single-mined devotion worships and the Sun God, he is cured of his disease. The healing capacity of the Sun God has been noted since the time of RIG VEDA. It also destroys the evil and all kinds of poison. In about 1580, Abul Fazal, the minister of Akbar, speaks about the Konarak Temple in his Ain-I-Akbari. He states that the temple was built “730 years ago” i.e. in about 850A.D. The annual revenue of Orissa was about Rs. 3 crores and in total Rs. 36 crores were spent on its construction.
The temple was not completed according to the foundation plan. According to a legend, being situated near the seashore, it was visible to the mariners. Due to certain inaccuracies in the bearings or neglect of navigators, many ships got wrecked at this place. The local people say that there was a huge magnetic stone of the top of the ‘Shikhara’. This drew towards it unfortunate ships. A Muslim crew of ship removed the magnet from the top. There after the priests took the image of the Sun God to Puri.
Kalapahar attacked the Konarak Temple in the 16th Century A.D. but could not destroy it completely. Only the copper Kalasa was removed and damaged. The sculptures pf Konarak are cut very exquisitively. All kinds of figures stand a comparison with some of our best specimens of Gothic architectural ornaments. The Navagrahas are very finely sculptured.
SURYA, or Sun God is a Vedic deity. He is ‘brilliant face of the Gods, the eye of the Mitra, Varuna and Agni’. He has witnessed sins of all on this earth. Gayatri Mantras are chanted daily in his adoration. Apart from the general
worship of the Sun God, there is also a class of people worshipping this God exclusively. Sun God feel in love with the daughter of a Brahmin Sujihva, and got married to her. Later, they had a son named Jarasastra. The special ceremonies of the temple can be traced back to the Magas, who were specialized priest of the Sun God. Surya is one of the five Panchyatana deities and his image is made either of the Suryakanta jewel or the Sphatika stone i.e. crystal. It is round in shape.
It is stated in the Puranas that the Konarak Temple must be visited to worship the Lord on the 7th of the bright half of the month of Magha. With self-control and the observance of a fast one should bathe and contemplate to the Lord. In the month of Chaitra as also on the Makara Sankranti, the worship of the Lord in the temple is highly meritorious.
There are 12 names of the Sun God, when in the 12 signs of the zodiac – Amsu, Mitra, Bhaga, etc. Similarly it is recommended that one should have 12 Namaskaras to Surya. Poet Maurya concludes his Surys Sataka by saying that the 100 verses are composed with the devotion for the benefit of humanity and he who repeats them even once is freed from the sins and secures health, poetic ability, intellect, strength, luster, longevity, learning, powers, wealth and sons through the grace of the Sun God.