Day Dedicated at The Magnificant Konark Sun Temple Odisha
Written in 2021. Prices, timings and routes may have changed since; check before you go.
When to go Puri and Konark through the year
Easiest: Nov to Feb. Hardest: Apr, Jul to Sep. Tap + for the month-by-month weather and where these numbers come from.
- January: Easy. Daytime about 26°, night about 16°. Rain: dry.
- February: Easy. Daytime about 30°, night about 19°. Rain: dry.
- March: Mixed. Daytime about 34°, night about 24°. Rain: some.
- April: Hard. Daytime about 37°, night about 27°. Rain: some.
- May: Mixed. Daytime about 36°, night about 28°. Rain: wet.
- June: Mixed. Daytime about 33°, night about 28°. Rain: wet.
- July: Hard. Daytime about 31°, night about 27°. Rain: very wet.
- August: Hard. Daytime about 31°, night about 27°. Rain: very wet.
- September: Hard. Daytime about 30°, night about 27°. Rain: very wet.
- October: Mixed. Daytime about 30°, night about 25°. Rain: wet.
- November: Easy. Daytime about 28°, night about 20°. Rain: some.
- December: Easy. Daytime about 26°, night about 17°. Rain: some.
Ten-year averages (2015 to 2024) from NASA POWER satellite data. Conditions change; check before you go.
Where do these numbers come from, and how far can you trust them?
The figures come from NASA POWER, a free NASA project that publishes weather estimates for every point on Earth, put together from satellites and weather models. We took every day from 2015 to 2024 for this place, and averaged each month: the usual daytime high, the usual night low, and the rain.
We compared it with official weather-station figures for a few places. Over flat land it matched closely; in the hills and on islands it can be a few degrees out, and then the strip says so.
In very wet places the satellite data tends to run low in the rainy season, so the rain is drawn as bars, from the driest to the wettest month, without millimetre figures.
Easy, Mixed and Hard are our rule of thumb, not a forecast. Hard means days above about 37°, rain of about 250 mm a month or more, or nights close to freezing. Mixed means days above about 32°, rain over about 100 mm a month, or cold nights (below about 8°). Easy is everything else.
An average is not the weather on your dates, and it knows nothing about festivals, crowds, road closures or this year's monsoon. Check a forecast a week before you go.
Konark Sun Temple Odisha– Escape to the historical site of the 13th-century era world famous Konark Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, built in black granite. Visit the Sun temple the UNESCO world heritage site and know the history behind the beautiful Monument
Day Spent In Exploring The Konark Temple
It was my husband’s first visit to my homeland, and I was thrilled to show him the esthetic beauty of the city all by myself. The first day was planned to visit the incredible sun temple popularly known as Konark sun temple or Konark Surya Mandir.
Despite a Tuesday morning, the Konark Sun temple already had a significant number of tourists present. An epic example of the Indian architecture, the temple is constructed in the form of a giant chariot with 12 pairs of beautifully adorned wheels (representing the 12 months) drawn by the seven horses (representing the seven days of the week) in which the Sun God is believed to travel.
Brief Incredible History of Konark Sun Temple
The magnificent Konark Sun Temple built in about 1250 AD by the East Ganga king Narasimhadeva. It is believed that he built the temple to commemorate military successes against Muslim invaders.
One of its kinds, sun temple which is additionally known as Black Pagoda mainly due to the black stones it has been composed of, lies on the coast by the Bay of Bengal and is just 65 km from the capital city Bhubaneswar and around 35 km from Jagganath Puri.
Who built The Konark Sun Temple & Why
The Konark Suryaa Mandir which is believed to be built by the King Narasimhadeva I was designed to face the east to ascertain the first rays of the sun to be fallen on the chakras (wheels) of the temple. There are many myths and stories linked with this stunning masterpiece of art.
Right at the entrance of this impressive historical monument, you would decry the sculptures of 2 large lions crushing an elephant, beneath which a man lies. The guide who was explicating its significance to a bunch of visitors expounded that the lion denotes to pride and the elephant is referred as wealth. He further explained how pride and money could sometimes bring the downfall in human’s life.
The Destruction of the Konark SunTemple
Konarak was attacked by the Muslim Yavana army in around the 15th century. The central statue enshrined in the temple was smuggled away to Puri town by the priests, but the Sun Temple was badly damaged in the attack.
Nature also took over the destruction during the time. Over the centuries, the sea receded, sand engulfed the sun temple and salty breezes eroded the stone. It remained buried under a huge mound of sand until the early 20th century when restoration began under the British
Curious Case Of Konark Temple Magnet
Some local state that the temple was never built entirely and some believe that Konark Temple Magnets which were utilized for the construction of the temple were troubling the Portuguese sailors as the magnetic bars pulled their vessels causing massive damages.
To protect their ships, Portuguese got the Konark Temple Magnets abstracted out of the temple and eventually that caused the destruction mainly because the temple lost its balance in the absence of the Magnet’s magnetic effects.
Top Attractions in Around Konark Sun Temple
The marvelous monument of the state which has been granted with the World Heritage Site status by the UNESCO in 1984 is one of the best tourist attractions of Odisha. Sadly most of the building has turned into ruins today, yet there are plenty of things to be visually perceived in Konark.
Carvings of Sun Temple Konark
The temple is decorated with exquisite carvings of dancers, musicians, celestial beings and other living bodies depicting the daily aspects of life from the 13th century. What surprised us the most was the erotic sex carvings carved so resplendently on these walls. Starting from the variety of different sex positions, it had the sculptures of lesbians and homosexuals probably designating the acceptance of such actions even during those days.
Wall Paintings of Konark Temple: Few mythological paintings can also be seen on the walls of the temple which have awestruck views.
Konark Festival:
Held every year in the month of December, this cultural dance festival is a must to be an optically discerned thing while you are in this beautiful state of Odisha.
Acclaimed dancers coming from the different parts of India show the magic of their dance including Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Kathak and others. Not to disappoint the shopping lovers, the festival also organizes the crafts stalls displaying handicrafts of Odisha.
Chandrabhaga Beach
After the ambulating tour done inside the temple, you would operate to throw yourself in this gorgeous beach which is just at a distance of 2-3 km from the temple. One of the pristine beaches of Odisha this would be a treat to your eyes.
Unlike the beaches of Goa, this is a less crowded beach spreading its serenity all around. Hence, if you transpire to visit the place during the first week of December then delight yourself by attending the International Sand Art Festival organized every year.
Archaeological Museum:
An excellent place for the art lovers and about the rich heritage of the state, the museum opens from 9 am to 5 pm and remains closed on Fridays. Maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, the museum has four galleries showcasing a vast collection of architectural pieces and sculptures opened for its visitors.
Best Time to Visit the Konark Sun Temple
As the name suggests, the sun temple is open from sunrise to sunset every day except on Fridays. Looking at the hot weather of the city, the best time to visit the temple is from November to February.
Latest Weather condition at Konark Sun Temple
How to Reach Konark Sun Temple
The capital city of Odisha is well connected by all designated of convey so one could facilely plan to reach the city by train or could fly down to Biju Patnaik International Airport (Bhubaneswar Airport).
From Bhubaneswar, it would take around 1.5 – 2 hours of road journey to reach Konark. Konark being one of the popular tourist destinations in the state, therefore public buses, and cars are readily available for the visitors.
Konark to Puri distance is only 35 Km.Puri famous for the Jagannath Temple and Puri Beach attracts millions of tourists every year and has many hotels available throughout the year.
Hotels Near Konark Sun Temple: Since the distance between Bhubaneswar, Konark and Puri is only 35 Km, hence it is strongly advisable to explore Konark Temple and Puri on the same day and further one could stay back in Puri.
After exploring the Konark temple and unwinding ourselves at Chandgrabagha beach, we continued our journey to Puri to seek the mystical enchantment of Lord Jagganath.
Map of Konark Sun Temple, India
Below is the location map and aerial view of where is the sun temple located. Using the buttons on the left (or the wheel on your mouse), you can zoom in for a closer look To move around, click and drag the map with your mouse.
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17comments
17 conversations from readers on the earlier site.
Very interesting blog. A lot of blogs I see these days don't really provide anything that attract others, but I'm most definitely interested in this one. Just thought that I would post and let you know.
Konark is a brilliant example of the skilful architecture and artistry of ancient India. I have yet to visit it in person...so much to see all over the country.
What a beautiful temple definitely one of those bucket list sites to add to the long list. Thanks for the great, comprehensive guide.
What an absolutely stunning temple! They really did not spare any detail when creating this one! And how fabulous that to top it off there is a gorgeous beach right outside. I could spend a terrific day exploring this place!
Another example of the beautiful architecture you get to see in India. Read a lot about this place but never got the chance to visit.
Wow this looks like a magnificent place! I love the walls it's beautiful. Thanks for posting :)
Such captivating architecture - I could spend hours photographing this place and taking in all of it's history!
This looks like a great temple to visit. I love visiting temples when I go to a place. I will have to add it to my list to see :-)
Show 9 more conversations (9 comments)
The Konark sun temple looks beautiful! India has so many hidden gems in its history like this. I love that it was built specifically to gather the suns morning rays. Such a cool story, thank you for sharing!
India is filled with a large number of magnificent architectures and the Konark Sun Temple is one of them. It’s an amazing fact that back in 1250 AD, the manpower was so skillful that it created such big chariot along with the 12 wheels to show their dedication to The Sun-their God!
Wow so many places on this list that I'd love to visit, thanks for posting!
Great article and guide on Sun Temple Konark! Loved the experience.thanks for sharing.
all information was good and meaningfull sir keep on writing :)
nice article thank for share
Thanks on your marvelous posting! I actually enjoyed reading it,I appreciate it.
Beautiful Konark. Beautiful writing...
You have covered almost every part , from Hotel to weather to location and everything. You have pointed out the exclusivity in Bold headings... this is how a travel blog should be, which in turn benefit travelers. Keep writing Samudrika.
Regards,
Rashmiranjan
Puri, Odisha
great post thanks for Sharing