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Most powerful tantric temples of India Series Part 4- Sun temple, Konark

18th century Odisha. A team of Maratha cavalry was riding towards a village near Puri to recover taxes from villagers. After collecting the taxes, they decided to take a halt for a night, next to a giant mound of sand near the village beach. One of the riders was a spiritual man. He felt some unusual vibrations radiating through the mound. The next day, the team started searching what was buried underneath the sand. To their surprise, they found a giant temple hidden in that overgrowth. That temple was none other than the famous Sun temple of Konark. UNESCO world heritage site.

Built-in the 13th century by King Narsimhadeva of the Ganga dynasty, that was one of the biggest buildings in contemporary India. It was so huge, that the ships sailing through the Bay of Bengal, used to consider it as a landmark. Several European sailors in their accounts have mentioned this temple as a black pagoda.  

The Konark Sun temple is located 65 Kilometres from Bhubaneshwar in the State of Odisha, on the Bay of Bengal coastline.

This temple has 24 wheels, each wheel, being nearly 12 feet tall. Ruins of a few other structures such as a ceremonial stage, a music hall, Mayadevi temple, Kitchen hall can be seen even today. Temple walls have exclusively intricate carvings depicting everyday life and the depictions from Puranas.  

What we can see today is just a remaining Mandapa. The main tower or Shikhara has been demolished by the tough times the temple has to see. Original Sanctum Sanctorum tower was believed to be 70 meters tall.

In 1960, when someone was digging the ground in the nearby village, found a few palm leaves rolled in a bundle, carefully packed in an ornate metal box. Something was written on those leaves in Sanskrit. When taken to the historians, they found out that it was the blueprint of the temple.

Originally constructed as a giant chariot, the temple was erected as if being pulled by seven gigantic horses, depicting the everyday travel of the Sun from east to west. Holding two Lotuses, Sun god was standing tall in the middle of that chariot. Two of his consorts Usha and Pratyusha were standing beside him, holding arrows, fighting the darkness with the rays of knowledge.

Surya, the Sun God

 May it be the Egyptians, Mayans, Buddhists, or Vedic, almost every ancient civilization has given very significant importance to the Sun. Even today, the Sun is prayed, in many parts of India. Ancient texts, like Vedas, constructed 2500 years ago narrates the Sun as a giver of life.

Speaking of primordial history, when it comes to the ancient lifestyle of Tantra, Sun has a very close relationship with it.

Om Suryay Namah.(I bow to the power of the Sun)

Surya Namaskar 

 A perfect blend of Yoga and Chakra activation, these 12 sets of Asanas or positions are created, concentrating body strengthening and improving the Chakra balance. Each repetition has a specific Mantra, focusing on a specific Chakra of the body. Known as a complete body workout, Surya Namaskar helps to lose weight, improves skin conditioning, improves the digestive system, and is known to improve mental health through deep breathing and Mantra chanting.   

  

Surya Nadi

 If you are a regular practitioner of meditation, you must have observed that while concentrating, your breath is usually flowing more swiftly in one nostril than the other. In the ancient science of Yoga, it has great significance. The left nostril is associated with the Chandra Nadi (current of the Moon) and is termed as Ida. Your right nostril is associated with Surya Nadi (current of the Sun) and is termed as Pingala. Greater efficiency of the Sun current represents a masculine aspect of the personality while Moon current represents the creative perspective. Kundalini Tantra teaches us to balance these two currents flowing through the body.

Solar Plexus Chakra

 Also called the Navel, Manipura, or Nabhi Chakra, the Solar plexus chakra plays a great role in our life, even before birth. It relates to the everlasting energy of the sun, absorbing and assimilating the Prana (life energy force) from the Sun.

 Swamiji says, this Chakra is connected with our mother, as well as with Mother Goddess Lakini Devi, and the balance she brings in our lives. With his vast experience, Swamiji tells us that when Navel Chakra loses its purity, many diseases tag along with it. A clean and healthy Manipura chakra brings balance in life, along with enhancing your grasping powers.

Every problem is an opportunity in disguise, Swamiji says to us. With the symptoms of Manipura Chakra impurity, Swamiji teaches us the easy to do remedy for purifying the Chakra as well. Next time, if you feel your Solar Plexus is being impure and in dire need of cleanse, chant the following Mantra in your mind. 
Vam Room.
Vam Room is the Mantra, belonging to Mother Goddess Dus Mahavidya Ji.Its not only cleanses all the Chakras in the body but also with that boost, you progress to the Third Eye Chakra, quicker.

Although currently not in worship, this largest Sun temple in the world was the Mecca of the Tantra seekers once upon a time. Tantra practitioners, from all over the Indian subcontinents use to gather here, to absorb the positive reverberations radiating from this powerhouse. 

Sun worshippers use to follow a ritual, called sun gazing, at the time of sunrise, to absorb the positivity from the rising sun.  

It is believed that ancient Tantriks used to absorb the Prana Shakti, the life power from the Sun in this power epicenter to heal, and to send healings hundreds of miles away to the needy.

Centuries later, the place where the Sages, seekers, and philosophers used to gather, to celebrate the life-giver God, to exchange ideas, to elevate their spirituality once upon a time, now is filled with tourists. Once, the site known for its radiating energy source is now becoming a selfie spot, entertaining people. These days, very few people know what this location was- A powerhouse of life, beaming with positive energy.

This blog post is dedicated to all these ancient Tantra temples, once were considered as powerful sources of divine energies to achieve enlightenment, but now, lost somewhere in the urbanization.

Kalay Tasmay Namah. (Eventually, everyone has to surrender to the time)

Please follow our blog post to know more about this monumental temple of the Lord Surya, the bringer of life on earth.