Konark Sun Temple
On the coast of Odisha the Eastern Ganga king Narasimhadeva I built a temple to the sun god Surya in the form of his gigantic stone chariot, with twelve pairs of carved wheels and seven horses; its walls are covered with sculpture.
- Date
- c. 1250year known, approximate
- Place
- Konark Sun Templetoday: Konark, Puri district, Odisha, India · South Asia
- Participants
- Narasimhadeva I, Eastern Ganga dynasty
- Threads
- Asia, Africa and the Americas in the 13th century
- Also known as
- Black Pagoda; Konarak; Surya Temple; Чёрная пагода; Конарак; Храм Сурьи
The temple is dated to about 1250, in the reign of Narasimhadeva I (1238–1264), who according to one view built it to mark his victories over the Muslim governors of Bengal. Its 24 wheels, each about 3 m across, correspond in pairs to the twelve months of the Hindu calendar. The reliefs show deities and apsaras, musicians, animals and mythical creatures, elephants and marching soldiers, hunting scenes and the everyday life of the people, as well as couples in courtship and love.
The sanctuary tower, estimated to have risen some 70 m (other estimates differ), later collapsed — according to one account, in 1837 — and the main surviving building is the audience hall (jagamohana), about 39 m high. European sailors called the temple the “Black Pagoda” as early as 1676. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
Connections
Adjacent events in the thread
- Carving of the second Tripitaka Koreana1236–1251 · East Asia
- Nichiren proclaims his teaching26 May 1253 · East Asia
Meanwhile in the world
Other regions, within a year of this event
Western and Central Europe
- Rebuilding of Chartres Cathedral and the High Gothic10 June 1194 – 24 October 1260
- Rise of the Hanseatic League1241–1356
Eastern Europe
- Reign of Mindaugasc. 1236 – between August and September 1263
- Alexander Nevsky becomes Grand Prince of Vladimir1252
Balkans and Anatolia
- John III Vatatzes and the revival of the Empire of Nicaeabetween December 1221 and December 1222 – 3 November 1254
Middle East and Egypt
- Mamluks seize power in Egypt2 May 1250
- Battle of al-Mansurah8–11 February 1250
- Seventh Crusade1248–1254
Africa
- Mapungubwe Hill, capital of the kingdom of Mapungubwec. 1220 – c. 1300
- Great Zimbabwe, the stone capital of a Shona kingdom1200–1299 – c. 1450
Central and Northern Asia
- Completion of the Secret History of the Mongolsbetween 1228 and 1264
- Pax Mongolicac. 1250 – c. 1350
East Asia
North America
- The Thule migrate east across the Arctic to Greenlandc. 1200 – c. 1300
- Ancestral Puebloans build Cliff Palace at Mesa Verdec. 1190 – c. 1280
- Mississippian centres after Cahokia: Moundville, Etowah and the Southeastern Ceremonial Complexc. 1200 – c. 1450
Latin America
- The Mexica enter the Valley of Mexico and settle at Chapultepecbetween 1245 and 1280 – 1299
- Chimor: the Chimú kingdom and its capital Chan Chanc. 900 – c. 1470
- The Kingdom of Cusco: the Inca state before the empirec. 1200 – c. 1438
- Mayapan, capital of Postclassic Yucatán1220s – between 1441 and 1461