Puri Jagannath and Konark Sun Temple

Dated - 25 DEC 2018
Crew - Naga's and Raju's family

The trip was very short and tight planned one. We have to complete 2 temples in one day.

We started to the puri at 4:10 AM by AHAMADABAD - PURI 12844 express. The train was late by 2 hours, which make the trip so worse.

First we went to the Jagannath temple, which is my long wish in the visit places list, by auto, charged around 80 rupees. We need to walk till temple entrance. Some auto walas will help to drop at entrance at additional cost.

Jagannath Temple, Puri:

Timings : 5.30 AM to 10 PM
Ticket Fare : Free
How to Reach: Nearest railway station is Puri. Autos are available from bus stand/ station to and fro.
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Duration: 2 hours
Highlights: Ratha Yatra festival, One of the Char Dham temples.
Website: http://www.jagannath.nic.in/?q=home
Precautions: Need to handover all your luggage in the free counters, Mobile phone counter is the time taking one, Beware of monkeys, Prasadam available after the darshan(some priests sell in temple which is costly),

Sthalapuranam:
The temple was built by the Ganga dynasty king Anantavarman Chodaganga in the 12th century CE, as suggested by the Kendupatna copper-plate inscription of his descendant Narasimhadeva II. Anantavarman was originally a Shaivite, and became a Vaishnavite sometime after he conquered the Utkala region (in which the temple is located) in 1112 CE. A 1134-1135 CE inscription records his donation to the temple. Therefore, the temple construction must have started sometime after 1112 CE.


According to a story in the temple chronicles, it was founded by Anangabhima-deva II: different chronicles variously mention the year of construction as 1196, 1197, 1205, 1216, or 1226. This suggests that the temple's construction was completed or that the temple was renovated during the reign of Anantavarman's son Anangabhima.[6] The temple complex was further developed during the reigns of the subsequent kings, including those of the Ganga dynasty and the Suryvamshi (Gajapati) dynasty.

Source : Wiki

By the time we came out from temple, it is around 1:30. But we feared that whether we can go to the konark temple.
We took an auto to and fro for 800 rupees charge and reached station at 5:15 PM.

Konark Sun Temple, Puri:

Timings : 6 AM to 8 PM
Ticket Fare : 40 rupees
How to Reach: Nearest railway station is Puri. Autos/buses are available to and fro. From temple, we need to go to bus stand by auto(charge - 10) and then more buses available to konark(charge - 40)
Accommodation: http://www.konark.nic.in/tourist.htm
Best time to Visit: Anytime
Duration: 2 hours
Highlights: The sun rays touches the idol.
Official Website: http://www.konark.nic.in/

Sthalapuranam:

Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE sun temple at Konark about 35 kilometres (22 mi) northeast from Puri on the coastline of Odisha, India. The temple is attributed to king Narasingha deva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty about 1250 CE.


Dedicated to the Hindu 'god Surya, what remains of the temple complex has the appearance of a 100-foot (30 m) high chariot with immense wheels and horses, all carved from stone. Once over 200 feet (61 m) high, much of the temple is now in ruins, in particular the large shikara tower over the sanctuary; at one time this rose much higher than the mandapa that remains. The structures and elements that have survived are famed for their intricate artwork, iconography, and themes, including erotic kama and mithuna scenes. Also called the Surya Devalaya, it is a classic illustration of the Odisha style of Architecture or Kalinga Architecture

Source : Wiki