The Sun Temple of Konark
The photograph on the cover is a section of one of the most beautiful and ornate monuments of religious architecture in the world, the sun temple of Konark in Orissa, eastern India.
The wheel in the picture is actually one of twelve pairs that surround the temple, a structure which represents a chariot built to carry the sun god Surya across the heavens. The temple also comprises seven pairs of horses built to pull the temple along and two lions to guard the entrance.
The temple was built in 1278 by the Ganga King Naraswaha Deva and is made from red sandstone and black granite.
It is the elaborate and intricate carvings in particular that make this temple so special: the walls are covered with platforms of horses, floral motifs, colossal mythical animals, whimsical depictions of daily life, war, trade, erotic sculptures and imagery of human love manifested in countless forms. There are also three images of the sun god Surya, positioned to catch the rays of the sun at dawn, noon and sunset.
The location, the small town of Konark, literally means corner of the sun (kona = corner, arka = sun) and is one of the prime attractions that makes up the golden triangle of Orissa along with the towns of Bhubaneswar and Puri, renowned for their momentous Jagannath (a manifestation of the Hindu god Krishna) temples.
Photo courtesy of Maxine Jeffrey
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