Konark Sun temple is the epitome of Odisha style of temple architecture or Kalinga architecture marking the zenith of Eastern Ganga dynasty. King Narasimha Deva I built this temple in the 12th Century AD. It took him nearly seven hundred years to erect this mind-blowing structure dedicated to the Sun God. Although India has a plethora of ornate temples, this one sets apart with its accurate symmetry, precision and fine detailing. In 1984, it received the status of UNESCO World Heritage site for its architectural brilliance.
Its name Konark is derived from two Hindi words, Kona meaning corner and Ark refers to the Sun. Its location doesn't come as a surprise which states it to be in an eponymous village, around 35 km from Puri. If possible, try to plan your trip in the month of February when the temple observes famous Chandrabhga Mela. Thousands of devotees and travelers visit here to see the temple decked to nine for the celebration of the age-old cultural festival.
The magnificent temple makes an impression like no other in India. With a cluster of ruins, its main highlight is a monolith huge chariot of Sun God pulled by twenty-four wheels which are finely carved. The intricate incised artwork illustrating daily life scenes on them is so breathtaking that it gets hard to get your eyes off. Apart from beauty, it also astonishes people with scientific precision. If you are a keen observer, it is easy to spot the technique used behind the position of wheels. They were used to know the time by noticing the shadow cast by the sun on the spoke of the wheels.
The temple was constructed using three types of stones. You will see the use of laterite stone on boundary walls, floors and staircase. Khondalite stone is used for the structure and Chlorite stone for the door jams and lintel. The European sailors called it 'Black Pagoda' due to its black color on the roof of the temple. It played a significant role for them guiding location on the Bay of Bengal.
Interestingly, the height of the main temple reaches up to 227 feet making it one of the tallest temples in the country. As you go inside, another impressive structure of Jagamohana (Entrance hall) captures attention. You will feel transported back to middle ages going through accompanying ruins of iconography, intricate work of art and depictions of sensual kama and mithuna scenes. All it takes is a few hour drive to from Puri and the world completely changes.
MarcoFrance1965
UNFORGETTABLE EXPERIENCE !
I just came back from a 12 days Rajasthan tour. It was just myself and my 14 year olde daughter. I found Caper surfing the web and had non suggestion from friends and had never read comments or reviews about it. Totally "blind-choice". I was very lucky. The organization was really excellent. The agent that followed us, Mr. Praveen Juyal did a great job. I decided our itinerary and he punctually gave me suggestions on the best management of my choices. The hotel choice was fine and confirmed expectations. We had tour guides in every site seeing location and they were all extremely professional, very punctual and really kind and polite.
But I must say that what made the trip even better was our driver; Mr. Deshraj.
One of those persons that you really wish you could meet once in your life. Not only an excellent driver but always helpful, respectful and friendly. He explained us many things about Indian life along the journey and sometimes stopped for short breaks in beautiful places on the road that were not even mentioned in the guide books. My only regret is that at the end of the trip I didn't have much money left and I left a tip probably not adeguate for the kind of service but I will definitely send him try to sort this maybe in a next trip. Thank you very much Caper and Deshraj.
Dreamer802943
A Memorable Trip
We recently concluded a 12 day driving tour of New Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan with Caper Travel. It was most enjoyable !! The logistics arrangements were excellent - from tour planning , hotel selection , vehicle condition to driver. Mr Alok handled the planning, and Mr Vikram was our Tempo driver throughout the journey. Mr Vikram was very helpful , accommodating and patient throughout the tour, despite long hours of driving on the roads ( not to mention India traffic}. We would not hesitate to recommend Caper to our fellow travellers who are thinking of visiting India. Thank You Caper !
goochie33, London, United Kingdom
Golden triangle goa and mumbia
Just come back from an amazing 2 week trip to India. First we done the golden triangle which we chose to do the train trip from Delhi to Agra a must you have to do if not just for the experience. All the cities were wonderful but be prepared to see lots of temple one seems to run into another but wow the taj was my highlight along with the Hindu temple in Delhi. The driving the cows the dogs are everywhere are all an experience. Goa was beautiful we stayed at the taj exotica. In mumbia we done a city tour and ended our trip in the taj for afternoon tea another must. It is a exhilarating trip but one I will never forget. From booking with Manika to all the drivers and guides they were always there to meet us from the airport and hotels on time. They really looked after us thank you all.
Aileen M
Wonderful trip
We have just returned from our first trip to India and we must say it was absolutely fascinating. The itinerary was first class and covered everything we could have wished for. On arrival we were met by a very nice rep and driver who took us to our hotel and sorted out the necessary paperwork with us. We had our driver Vishan for our time in the north and he was terrific, kept the vehicle spotless and kept us supplied with water. We then flew to the south of India and met up with our driver Suhdeer who again was very nice and very informative about things as we drove along. The guides we had on all our trips were excellent and again very informative.
The only down side to it all was that in our package we paid for the drivers accommodation, food and allowance only to find out that the drivers don’t receive this money and if they want accommodation they have to pay for it themselves. We ended up paying one of our drivers an amount for the nights that we had him for him to get somewhere to sleep and food as we were concerned that if he slept in his car he wouldn’t be rested enough to take on the next day driving for 4-5 hours.
All in all Caper Travel are excellent in their planning and can’t fault them for that.
Urquiola, New York City, New York
Caper travel
Recently traveled to India on a private guided tour with Caper Travel. Ms. Mumtaz Khan worked with me on arranging my itinerary.
She was always available to answer all my concerns immediately. On my arrival in Delhi I was welcome with warm smile at the airport by a young gentleman name Kapol Joshi . My experience with the company was amazing and I would highly recommend to anyone traveling to India.
I would also like to mention the personal attention I received at Amritsar by Aman Shara and his lovely wife who welcomed me and my son to their home
and soon to open their beautiful hotel.
Any Query? Please write us at info@india-travel-packages.in
