A Peek into the Wisdom of The Ancestors
A visit to the sun temple of Odisha
I recently visited Puri in Odisha. I had been here many years ago but at that time I was not so keen on understanding the ancestral background of India. I visited it more from a tourist’s point of view.
Presently, I am keen to discover India's history and cultural background. Puri is a fine example of the history, culture, and traditions of the ancestors. One of the interests to learn this was to visit the Konark Temple in Odisha.
UNESCO declared Konark or the Sun Temple a World Heritage site in 1984. It was my wish to visit it again to understand and study it in depth.
The word ‘Konark ’ combines two Sanskrit words kona (corner or angle) and arka (the sun). Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century marvel built in stone and there is heavy carving to it. It is also called the Sun Temple and is built in the Smarta tradition.
The Sun God is among the 5 major deities. He is also a means to attain Brahman.
The temple was almost in ruins when it was partially restored by the archaeological team when the British ruled India.
The main structure
The above building was dark and dingy but it was the main structure of the Sun Temple so I took a…