Konark — The Black Pagoda

vahana: "Nandi (sacred bull)" vahana: "Nandi (sacred bull)"

Konark Sun Temple — Sūrya's Chariot

The Black Pagoda of Kalinga

The Konark Sun Temple is the supreme achievement of Odishan temple architecture — a colossal stone chariot of Sūrya, the Sun God, with 24 carved wheels (representing the 24 hours of the day) and 7 horses (representing the 7 days of the week or the 7 colours of the rainbow). It is simultaneously an astronomical instrument, a theological statement, and a work of art of the highest order.

Built c. 1250 CE by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, the temple was designed as a chariot rolling eastward — the entire structure faces the rising sun. The original 70-metre main tower (rekha deul) has collapsed; what remains is the jagamohana (audience hall) and the natamandapa (dance hall).

The Chariot Design

• 24 wheels: each 3 metres in diameter, carved with intricate spokes that function as sundials. The shadows of the spokes tell the time of day with remarkable accuracy
• 7 horses: pulling the chariot eastward, each carved with individual character
• 3 images of Sūrya: positioned to catch the morning, noon, and evening sun — the greenstone Sūrya (morning), chlorite Sūrya (noon), and sandstone Sūrya (evening) once occupied three niches on the tower

The Erotic Sculptures

Konark is famous for its erotic sculpture — but this is not mere decoration. The sculptures are placed on the bhoga-mandapa (pleasure hall) walls, not on the sanctum. They represent the kāma (desire) aspect of the purushartha (four aims of life), paired with the dharma (duty) sculptures on the sanctum walls. The message: desire has its place, but it must ultimately yield to duty.

The Horses and the Lion

The seven war-horses of Sūrya's chariot are among the finest equestrian sculptures in Indian art. The temple also includes monumental war-lion sculptures — but in Odisha, the Sanskrit 'siṃha' (lion) was applied to the tiger (the actual apex predator of the region). The Konark lion-sculptures, like the horse sculptures, represent the Kalinga dynasty's military power.