“Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man.” Rabindranath Tagore
Tons of information about this sun temple is available in the web but the very key reason that triggered the ruining phase of this temple is not actively told anywhere. So this article focuses on this very key issue.
Konark is dedicated to the Sun God Surya, built in 13th century, supposedly built by king Narasimhadeva 1st of Eastern Ganga Dynasty around 1250 at Konark, in Odisha, India.
This traditional Kalinga style of architecture built in the form of a giant ornamented chariot for Lord Surya. It has twelve pairs of elaborately carved stone wheels, pulled by seven pairs of horses. This temple is carefully aligned towards the east so that, first rays of the rising sun strikes the principle entrance.
This entire temple is built from Khondalite rocks, specialty in the construction being no gluing or bounding materials where used to hold these sheets or blocks of rocks together. Instead a very indigenise technology was implemented in this Structural Magnasences. These blocks or sheets of rocks where held together with iron bars attached to the inner walls of rocks.
To keep the iron bars in place, a very strong and huge magnet was placed on top of the temple. Irrespective of the expansions and contractions due to extreme climate, these iron bars where kept in place by the magnet placed on top of the temple.
When European sailors first arrived at Konark, they found their compass misbehaves. The Magnet on top of the temple was giving them issues with their traveling compass, so for this monument was also called the Black Pagoda by European sailors. Later these sailors blasted off this temple magnet with dynamites.
As the magnet was missing from the top, the iron bars could no longer remain intact and thus the bondage between the rocks failed. This structural weakness could not withstand bad weather and thus the structure collapsed.
A group of sailors who had no fundamental right to do this demolition, took privilege of our then - week economic and imperialistic system and non in our country to this day have raised questions against this act.
Currently restoration & maintains works in this temple is done by the Archaeological Department and efforts are in good progress.
