Konark

Konark is a small town in the Puri District in the state of Odisha. It is the site of the 13th-century Sun Temple, also known as the Black Pagoda, built in black grinite during the reign of Narasimhadeva-1 a distinguished ruller of Ganga Dynasty. The temple is a World Heritage Site. The temple is now mostly in ruins, and a collection of its sculptures is housed in the Sun Temple Museum, which is run by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). Konark is also home to an annual dance festival called Konark Dance Festival, held on 1st to 5th December of every year, devoted to classical Indian dance forms, including the traditional classical dance of Odisha, Odissi. The name Konark is derived from the Sanskrit word Kona (means angle) and word Arka (means sun) in reference to the temple which was dedicated to the Sun god Surya.The Sun Temple was built in the 13th century and designed as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God, Surya, with twelve pairs of ornamented wheels pulled by seven horses. Some of the wheels are 3 meters wide. Only six of the seven horse still stand today. The temple fell into disuse after an envoy of Jahangir desecrated the temple in the early 17th century.