A sculptural relief cycle carved on the exterior walls of the jagamohana, or assembly hall, of the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, India, built in the mid-13th century under King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty as a colossal stone chariot for the sun god Surya, its 24 wheels reading as the hours of the day and its seven horses as the days of the week. Among the temple's extensive sculptural programme are figures identified with the twelve Adityas, the solar deities whose collective cycle marks the sun's yearly passage through the months, carved as part of a temple whose entire architectural scheme is organized around solar time. Konark is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most celebrated works of Kalinga temple architecture.
Facts
Origins
CreationSourced to the subject's own account Date of CreationSourced to the subject's own accountMid-13th century AD, reign of Narasimhadeva I 2 Subject Matter
Depicted SubjectFigures identified with the twelve Adityas, the solar deities of the sun's yearly cycle, carved on the temple's jagamohana. 1 Custody
Current LocationKonark Sun Temple, Konark, Odisha, India 1 Physical Form
MediumCarved stone relief (khondalite and chlorite) 1 Rights and Reproduction
Reproduction and CopyrightSourced to the subject's own accountThis atlas describes and cites the relief cycle rather than reproducing photographs of it. 2 Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Ganga, Deities This source names Ganga directly: "King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty as a colossal stone chariot for the sun god Surya, its 24 wheels reading as the hours of the day and its seven horses as the days of the week."
This source names Konark Sun Temple directly: "jagamohana, or assembly hall, of the Konark Sun Temple in Odisha, India, built in the mid-13th century under King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty as a colossal stone chariot for the sun..."
Surya, Deities This source names Surya directly: "colossal stone chariot for the sun god Surya, its 24 wheels reading as the hours of the day and its seven horses as the days of the week."
Depicts
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