The Sun Temple

Raja Narasimhadeva built the black pagoda, as the European sailors called it in the 13th century along the shores of Bay of Bengal. But now the sea has moved two km away from the temple. Many myths and legends surround this crowning glory of Orissa. This exquisite specimen of Oriyan craftsmanship is poetry in stone and is included in the world heritage monuments. The Natya Mandir or the dancing hall of Sun temple is the only remnant of a glorious past which this place was a witness. The whole structure is in the form of colossal chariot of the Sun. 7 horses draw the chariot and 24 wheels symbolize the division of time.

The main tower of Konark stands 227 feets high superceding both Lingaraja and Jaganath temples. The temple is a brilliant chronicle in stone, with thousands of images including deities, the Surasundaris, heavenly damsels and dancers and other scenes from courtly life. The intricate carvings on the walls and wheels of the chariot are unprecedented in history. Only two subsidiary temples out of the 22 that were also situated inside the temple exist today. The Vaishnadevi Mayadevi Temple stands to the West of the towers.

The Sun temple is a depiction in stone of the life of the times - royal, social, religious and military. Everyday the Sun God rises from the lap of the blue ocean and casts his first gentle rays on the sanctum sanctorum and then circles the temple during its course of the day, illuminating three magnificent images of the morning sun, the mid-day sun and the setting sun. The majestic sun temple silhouetted against the setting sun remains indelibly etched in the spectators' memory.

Nine Planets' Shrine
The 6m-chlorite slab outside the temple walls was once the architrave above the main entrance of jagmohan, the entrance hall. The carved seated figures represent Surya (the Sun), Chandra (the moon), Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn, Rahu and Ketu.

Chilka Lake
Chilka Lake, situated to the southwest of Puri is Asia's largest lagoon is known for the birds that migrate to this lake in winter. The large islands and foreshores of the 70 km long and 15 km wide lake harbors species of cranes, herons, gray-legged geese and osprey. The Kali temple situated on a small island invites loads of pilgrims to the Makar Mela held in January.