SSC
The Konark Sun Temple, also called the 'Black Pagoda', is built in which architectural style?
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Answer: Option B — Kalinga architecture
Detailed Solution
The Konark Sun Temple, in the Puri district of Odisha, is one of the greatest examples of Kalinga (Odishan) temple architecture.
About the Konark Sun Temple:
- It was built in the 13th century (around 1250 CE) by King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty.
- It is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God.
- The whole temple is designed as a gigantic chariot of the Sun God, with 24 intricately carved stone wheels (12 pairs) and pulled by seven horses.
- The 24 wheels are believed to represent the hours of the day (or the fortnights of the year), and the seven horses the days of the week.
- The wheels also work as sundials; the time can be read from the shadows of their spokes.
The main sanctum tower, which was very tall, has collapsed. The surviving structure is mainly the huge "jagamohana" (assembly hall), built in the pidha style with a pyramidal roof. It was filled with sand and sealed by the British in 1903 to prevent collapse.
It has rich sculptures of gods, musicians, dancers, animals, daily life and erotic figures.
It is called the "Black Pagoda" by European sailors, because its dark tower was used as a landmark for ships. (The Jagannath Temple at Puri was called the "White Pagoda".)
It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
The Konark wheel is shown on the back of the Indian 10-rupee note (the 2018 series), and a Konark wheel replica was the backdrop for world leaders at the G20 Summit in New Delhi (2023).
The "Konark Dance Festival" is held every December.
Rabindranath Tagore wrote: "Here the language of stone surpasses the language of man."
About Kalinga architecture:
- It is the Odishan school of the northern temple style.
- Odishan temples consist mainly of the "deula" (sanctum with a tower) and the "jagamohana" (assembly hall).
- Other examples: the Lingaraja and Rajarani temples (Bhubaneswar) and the Jagannath Temple (Puri).
Other Sun temples in India:
- Modhera Sun Temple (Gujarat; 1026 CE; Solanki dynasty).
- Martand Sun Temple (Anantnag, Jammu and Kashmir; 8th century; Lalitaditya Muktapida).
- Katarmal Sun Temple (Almora, Uttarakhand).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Dravidian architecture is the South Indian style.
- ✗Indo-Islamic architecture combines Islamic and Indian elements, as in Mughal buildings.
- ✗Hoysala architecture is found in Karnataka (Belur and Halebidu).
Quick tip
Remember: Konark Sun Temple = Kalinga architecture (about 1250 CE; Narasimhadeva I, Eastern Gangas; chariot with 24 wheels and 7 horses; "Black Pagoda"; UNESCO 1984; on the 10-rupee note); Modhera = Gujarat; Martand = Kashmir.
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Monuments & Religious Places — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Monuments & Religious Places, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's important monuments, temples, mosques, churches, gurudwaras and pilgrimage sites, who built them and when, their architectural styles, and India's UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Questions ask who built a monument, where it is located, or which dynasty or style it belongs to. For example, the Qutub Minar was begun by Qutbuddin Aibak, and the Sun Temple at Konark was built by the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I. Revise the UNESCO World Heritage Sites as a list, noting the most recent additions. Practise the monuments and religious places questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.