THE SUN TEMPLE IN KONARK
Also Known As : Black Pagoda & Konarak
Built By : King Narsingha Deva
Presiding Deity : Surya Or The Sun God
The Restoration
The story of the conservation and repair of the temple has become an
inextricable part of its myth. The first suggestion to repair the ruin
came from the unlikely direction of the Marine Board. In 1806 they
submitted a proposal to have the temple repaired so that it could once
more be a useful navigational landmark for the ships in the Bay of Bengal.
But the government considered the expense involved to be too great. This
was again the reason given by the deputy governor of Bengal in 1838, when
he refused to do anything to preserve the temple.
In
1882-83, some jungle clearance was undertaken and a few statues mounted on
platforms around the site, but in the wrong places. In 1892 Lieutenant
Governor Sir Charles Elliot refused to grant any money for restoration,
though some individual pieces of sculpture were shifted to the Calcutta
Museum a couple of years later.
Thus a hundred years were wasted before any constructive action was taken
to improve the site. In 1900 Sir John Woodburn, the new lieutenant
governor, visited Konark and immediately issued an order that repair and
restoration should begin without further delay. The problems faced were
enormous like the porch was tottering, the stone crumbling and overgrown.
The entire site was silted with sand, so that the platform of the porch
was completely submerged. This, along with the 'hall of Celebration', was
gradually uncovered, and it was only after several years' work that the
magnificent wheels, now famous all over the world, were fully exposed to
view.
It appreciates the temple fully, it is best to make two full
circumambulations: the first at ground level, the second around the upper
floor. To begin the first round, go through the main entrance.
The Temple Complex
The Guardian Figures
The first thing one sees on coming through the main entrance is a pair of
guardian figures composed of a lion, elephant, and man. These masterpieces
of Orissan art are full of life; their vitality emphasized by the way the
natural lines of the striated stone follow the flowing rhythms of the
massive bodies, giving the whole figure a swirling yet contained energy.
These, as the other colossi, represent the military might of the Ganga
kings. (Narasingha means "man-lion.") They are dynastic emblems,
like the heraldic dragons of the Chandella rulers of Khajuraho. The
rearing lions show traditional attributes of a deity expecting sacrifice:
open mouth, bulging eyes, flared nostrils. The elephants are altogether
gentler as they seem to be grinning and their little eyes twinkle with
merriment.
These huge figures were originally guarding the steps of the eastern door
of the porch, mounted on blocks and standing over 16-feet (5m) high. They
were at that time covered in chocolate and pink plaster, like the "Kailasanatha
temple" at Ellora. One can still see remnants of this paint,
especially on the left elephant.
The Hall of Dance - Natamandira
This pavilion was the scene of ritual celebrations held in honor of the
sun god. Such halls are a distinctive feature of Orissan temple
architecture. Here there would have been drama, music, dancing, and
banquets, as well as daily rituals performed in honor of the lord of all
life. One of the unique features of the Hindu temple was the degree to
which it penetrated into the daily life of the people.
The cathedrals of medieval Europe overlooked marketplaces where goods
were sold and mystery plays enacted; the temples of ancient Greece served
as stages for certain arts that were considered divine; but it was the
Hindu temple that sought above all to glorify human life by turning it
into a sacrificial celebration. Only the holy of the holies was restricted
to the priest; the outer parts of the temple were open to the public.
THE WALLS
The walls of the platform of the Hall of Dance are covered by hundreds of
figures, carved in living detail. The majority of these are heavenly
nymphs of the sort that are to be seen at Khajuraho. They twist and turn
like sinuous corkscrews. Most are playing musical instruments-drums,
flutes, cymbals-or dancing with their hands above their heads and their
hips swinging in joyful movement. The whole wall pulsates with rhythm.
THE SCULPTURES AROUND THE BASE
Orissa had a particularly vital tradition of dance, and it was there that
the 'Natamandira' became a separate structure, independent of the main
temple. The sculptures around the base of the hall portray the principal
poses as enumerated in the classic text on Orissan
dance, the "Sangina Darpana".
Other women are shown in a variety of poses, which illustrate their
relaxed and sensuous enjoyment of everyday living. Some are at their
toilet, bathing, or wringing out their wet hair; others caress a child or
adjust a scarf. Everywhere there is a languorous dwelling on the physical
charm of these damsels, the divine attendants of the sun god's court. As
at Khajuraho, life in all its pleasurable variety is seen as essentially
feminine-delicate, creative, and beautiful.
THE GARGOYLE
As well as the 'Kanyas', some deities are depicted, including Ganesha and
the Guardians of the Eight Directions of space, a common motif on temple
walls. Also there are instances of a robust humor. One of these is in the
gargoyle surmounting a pilaster. The gargoyle is in the form of a man,
with the water pipe coming out between his legs. To appreciate this fully,
one has to go right into the corner of the wall and look back up at the
gargoyle. Then one can see that behind the man crouches a woman, grinning
as widely as her playmate.
The Three-Tier System
The standing figures on the walls of the pavilion are arrayed in three
tiers. Each figure is set in a protruding panel framed by running borders
of vine leaves, tendrils, tiny elephants ducks, and animals. These tiers
are punctuated further by vignettes of erotic couples locked in close
embrace, soldiers on the march, and animals in various positions.
The background to all this intricate carving is a wall surface that is
not continuous but regularly pitted with small holes, so that it resembles
a honeycomb. It seems barely substantial enough to support the carving is
a wall surface that is not continuous but regularly pitted with small
holes, so that it resembles a honeycomb. It seems barely substantial
enough to support the carvings that emerge so boisterously from its
checkered shadows. The whole effect is one of fragility combined with
softness.
This impression is accentuated by the way the scroll motifs tend to be
concentrated at the corners of the building, and thus serve to soften any
angularity it might have. Each register of frieze is deeply indented, and
this adds to the play of light and shade that reduces the wall surface to
one rippling arabesque that is at once lively and contained.
Indian Craft Traditions
It is worth remembering that Hindu temple art is squarely based on the
indigenous craft traditions. This heritage has several important
implications. On the technical side it insures the continuing skill of the
stone carver, who inherits the trade from his father.
This skill is highly prized, for the carver who fashions unworked stone
into life acts as a microcosm of the mysterious power that fashions the
undifferentiated primordial matter into the world of name and forms and
actively transmits them to his material. The scribe does the same with
different materials and instruments. In the Indian tradition both
primordial matter and pure spirit are eternal and divine; they represent
the first duality to emerge from the one.
The craft tradition dictated content as well as form. The crafts were
rooted in a worldview that was cosmological rather than theological. Their
art is not morally educational in the sense of teaching what ought to be
done to become "holy"; temples such as Konark and Khajuraho are
non-moral. They communicate a vision of a world that is already holy by
virtue of its beauty, richness, and exuberance.
DEVADASIS
The subjects of the carving are not merely decorative. They are records
of what went on here. One important institution in the Hindu temple was
the 'Devadasis'- the temple dancing girls. These girls entertained the
public as well as performing dances to the temple god. They represented an
incarnation of heavenly nymphs and portrayed myths and stories from the
scriptures. The Devadasis would have danced here in this hall.
But
however pure its beginnings, the Devadasi institution went into a
spectacular decline. By the 18th century there was an entire colony of the
girls living in Puri, an old center of Brahminical piety. Under royal
guard, the girls were not allowed to marry, as they were officially "
married " to Surya, the sun god they served.
However, not only the deity enjoyed their charms. The colony was
popularly known as "the place where bodies may enjoy relaxation,"
and out of the six categories of Devadasis residing in this stately
pleasure dome; one was called "those who are meant for the king only,"
and another "those who are meant for the inner apartments only."
Perhaps the other four were generally available-at least to the upper
echelons of society.
The Devadasi system was kept alive by the random recruitment of young
girls, often from poor families who were probably only too pleased to see
their daughters assured of a good living and themselves freed from having
to find a dowry they could ill afford. Nevertheless, it would be wrong to
see the system as nothing but a front for wholesale prostitution. Even in
its last hours, the custom retained some of its former glory, and some of
the Devadasis fulfilled their original duty.
The Orissan historian, Dr. K. Mansingha, recalls seeing a brilliant
performance of the dancing art in the Hall of Celebration of Orissa's
holiest temple, the Jagannatha at Puri. This was in the early years of the
present century. Sumptuously clad in heavy gold jewelry from the temple
coffers, a young Devadasi danced silently in front of the image for almost
an hour. Only her guru, an old man, who played the pachawaj drum,
accompanied her. When she had finished, many of her spellbound
audience-men and women of all ages-spontaneously rolled over the very
ground on which she had danced, so great was their appreciation.
The Classic Orissan Temple Structure
In the classic Orissan temple, such as the Lingaraja at Bhubaneshwar,
there was a hall of celebration in addition to the Hall of Dance, in which
the Devadasis performed. Here at Konark the two structures seem to have
been amalgamated. The inner arrangement of the hall, divided into bays by
thick pillars, falls into nine compartments, thus forming a ground plan
known as the "Graha-Abha-Mandapa", used in ancient India for the
construction of stages. This fact, together with the profuse carving of
musicians, and so forth, would argue that this pavilion was a
'Natamandira'.
But it may well be that Narasingha intended to build another structure
between this and the 'Jagamohana', much as happened at the Lingaraja, and
it is a fact that the building farthest from the 'Deul' is generally a "Bhogamandapa"
in Orissan temples. Whether this was his intention or not, this hall would
also have been used for banquets.
Food was ceremonially offered to the sun god, and a portion of the
offering returned as blessed and given to the devotees as consecrated.
This custom takes place in every living Hindu temple. There is also the
important ritual of feeding the Brahmins in order to gain spiritual merit,
another custom still practiced. The southern door of the hall led directly
to the kitchens.
From the inside one can see that the hall was aligned to the eastern door
of the main temple. This was to allow the rising sun to fall on the image
in the holy of holies each morning. There may well have been a ritual
opening of doors to allow the light to shine through the hall, for there
are large holes in the floor that were probably sockets for wooden
doorjambs.
THE CEILING LOTUS
The building would have had a pyramidal roof, similar in shape to the
roof of the porch of the temple. There is a finely carved piece from the
ceiling now lying to the north of the hall. This is a fully opened lotus,
with Surya on the pericarp surrounded by an inner ring of eight petals,
and an outer one of sixteen. On each of the sixteen petals there is a
dancer.
The Granite Beauty
One of the beautiful features of all the buildings here is the stone. A
type of gneiss, it is garnetiferous, and time has exposed its glistening
veins of different colors. Here in the hall, there is a predominance of
muted heathery colors-purple, brown, and yellow. The tonal effect is one
of mellow softness, emphasized by the rounded larval texture of the stone,
weathered smooth by the years. MORE.........
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