Konark Vishnu Temple, Odisha

Address

Konark Vishnu Temple, Odisha

Konark, Konark Block,

Puri District,

Odisha 752111

Moolavar

Vishnu

Introduction

Vishnu Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in the Konark Sun Temple Complex in Konark Town in Konark Block in Puri District in Odisha, India. This temple is situated to the south-west of the Chayadevi Temple in the Konark Sun Temple Complex. This temple is a protected monument of Archaeological Survey of India. Konark is well-connected by Odisha State Public Transport buses plying on National and State highways linking it to Puri, Bhuvaneswar and other cities of Odisha.

Puranic Significance

This temple is believed to be built by the Somavamsis in 10th century CE. The temple was buried under the sand and was discovered in 1956 during the excavations carried out in the Konark Sun Temple Complex. This discovery was significant because it confirmed that the Konark Sun Temple complex revered all the major traditions and was not an exclusive worship place for the Saura cult as previously believed. The significance of Konark Sun Temple as a place of Vaishnavism pilgrimage is attested to in Vaishnava texts. It is said that Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the early 16th century CE scholar and founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, visited the Konark temple and prayed on its premises.

Special Features

This temple is facing towards east. The temple consists of rekha vimana and pidha jagamohana. The temple is completely in ruined state except a portion of its bada. The temple is pancharatha on plan and panchangabada in elevation. The vimana is square on plan and the jagamohana is rectangular on plan. The interior of the jagamohana is plain. The base of the doorjamb of the jagamohana entrance way has dvarapalas on either side. Each door keeper holds a staff in one hand and shows abhaya mudra in the other hand. Images of Balarama, Varaha, Trivikrama and a broken image of Narasimha can be seen in the sanctum. However, the original idol enshrined in the sanctum is missing. These images might have been adorned in the niches in the temple in the past. The exterior of the temple is devoid of any decoration except the architectural motifs like khakharamundis and pidhamundis on the walls of the jagamohana.