The Konark Sun Temple is a thirteenth century Hindu temple dedicated to the sun god Surya, built on the coast of Odisha, India, under the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. The temple is designed as a colossal stone chariot for the sun god, its base carved with twelve pairs of ornately decorated wheels, each over three meters in diameter, and drawn by a team of seven sculpted horses. Its main sanctuary tower collapsed sometime after the temple fell out of active use, most likely in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, but the surviving audience hall and the temple's extensive stone relief carving, ranging from courtly and religious scenes to erotic sculpture in a tradition shared with Khajuraho, remain largely intact. The temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and is often called the Black Pagoda, a nickname once used by European sailors navigating the coast.
Facts
Building TypeSourced to the subject's own account LocationSourced to the subject's own accountKonark, Puri district, Odisha, India 1 Completed Year Completed YearSourced to the subject's own accountAbout 1250 CE per the source's own attribution to king Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty; no more exact single year is attested. Height (m)Sourced to the subject's own account30 metres is the height of the surviving mandapa structure as it stands today; the same source states the temple was originally over 61 metres (200 ft) high before the shikara sanctuary tower collapsed. Classification
Standing StatusSourced to the subject's own account Building Type
Building Type (category) Connections
Has Building Type
Entity-backed identity for the building-type enum value this building already carries, resolved to an architecture concept by an explicit value-to-entity map (phase 3 bucket conversion, docs\design_entity_backed_browse_buckets_20260928.md). The building-type fact itself stays on the building unchanged.
In Style
The 13th-century Odisha sun temple, built as a colossal stone chariot, follows the Kalinga branch of the Nagara school of North Indian temple architecture.
Uses Element
Source Konark Sun Temple (Wikipedia)
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: India, located there.
Sources
1. Konark Sun Temple (Wikipedia)
Wikipediaopening paragraph, first sentence
Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Hindu Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India.
opening paragraph, first sentence (location clause)
Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Hindu Sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri city on the coastline in Puri district, Odisha, India.
opening paragraph, second sentence
The temple is attributed to king Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty about 1250 CE.
opening paragraph, third sentence
what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 30-metre (100 ft) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone.
Entity description and the lead of the Wikipedia article
The Konark Sun Temple is a thirteenth century Hindu temple dedicated to the sun god Surya, built on the coast of Odisha, India, under the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. The temple is designed as a colossal stone chariot for the sun god, its base carved with twelve pairs of ornately decorated wheels, each over three meters in diameter, and drawn by a team of seven sculpted horses. Its main sanctuary tower collapsed sometime after the temple fell out of active use, most likely in the sixteenth or seventeenth century, but the surviving audience hall and the temple's extensive stone relief carving, ranging from courtly and religious scenes to erotic sculpture in a tradition shared with Khajuraho, remain largely intact. The temple was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984 and is often called the Black Pagoda, a nickname once used by European sailors navigating the coast.
Uses Element: Stone, Introduction
what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 30-metre (100 ft) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone
View the Source 2. Wikidata: Konark Sun Temple
- Wikidata Q752091, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)
- Wikidata Q752091, P571 claim (w-bbfill-artsarchag-0926)
View the SourceFrequently Asked Questions
Why does the Konark Sun Temple look like a giant stone chariot?
The surviving temple takes the form of a 30 meter stone chariot with carved wheels and horses.
What remains of the Konark Sun Temple complex has the appearance of a 30 meter high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. The 13th century temple, attributed to king Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty around 1250 CE, was built as a colossal stone chariot for the Hindu sun god it honors.
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