Sun Temple, Konark – Legends

Sun Temple, Konark – Legends

Samba Dashami:

Samba was a son of the Hindu god Krishna and his second consort, Jambavati. Samba used his appearance to fool his stepmothers and play pranks with them in the absence of his father. Krishna bore it with patience as he did not like to hurt him. One day, Samba teased the sage Narada for his looks. The sage felt humiliated and was infuriated. He decided to teach Samba a lesson. He lured Samba to the private bathing pool where his stepmothers were taking bath. Finding intrusion on their privacy, they all complained to Krishna.

Krishna was mortified to learn that his son had been peeping and cursed him to suffer from leprosy. Samba pleaded his innocence and expressed that he was misled by Narada. Krishna found it to be true and repented for his action in haste. As the curse cannot be revoked, he advised Samba to pray Surya who alone can cure him of the deadly disease. Samba came to Konark and performed intense penance on Lord Surya for 12 years on the banks of Chandrabhaga at Konark.

He was cured by the Sun God Surya after 12 years of penance. In gratitude for healing his skin ailment, Samba erected a temple in the honour of Surya. He even brought some Magi (sun-worshippers) from Persia, as the local Brahmanas (the priestly class among the Hindus) refused to worship Surya's image. In memory of this event, the day he got cured is celebrated as Samba Dashami on the 10^th day of the Shukla Paksha of Pausha Masa. On this day, mothers pray to Surya for the health of their children.

Dharmapada and twelve hundred masons of Konark:

As per local folklore, the king Langula Narasingha Deva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty decided to build a massive temple at Konark. The temple was to be in the shape of the Sun god, Surya riding in his chariot. The king recruited 1,200 craftsmen to construct the temple, led by one sculptor named Bishu Maharana. They have to complete the project within twelve years. Due to delays, the project was not completed by the end of twelfth year as the uppermost portion of Kalasha did not fit in the almost completed structure.

Enraged by the delays and doubting the competence of the masons, the king ordered the completion of the task by the next day morning or else all 1200 of them would be beheaded. On the very day, Dharmapada, the son of Bishu Maharana, now 12 years of age, came to see his father. Dharmapada was interested in architecture and crafts right from his childhood. Dharmapada had access to all the manuscripts describing the details of temple construction. By the time he turned 12, he had mastered the art of Odia temple architecture.

Bishu Maharana had not seen his son since he was born, as Bishu was assigned to the project before that and had never visited his family during the course of the construction. Unable to put the Kalasha on the top of the temple due to the weight of their bodies, the masons feared the worst. The small child somehow undertook this task and managed to place the Kalasha on the top of the temple, hence completing the task. As the orders were very specific for the assigned masons to finish the task, the news of a child completing the task would have still ensured their deaths.

A debate then took place among the craftsmen. Fearing for their own lives if it became known that a child had completed the work instead of them, they demanded that Dharmapada be killed, a suggestion his father strenuously resisted. At last, to settle this debate, Dharmapada jumped from the crown he had completed, killing himself and ensuring the safety of the craftsmen. This sacrifice by a twelve-year-old saved his father and all the other masons as Narasingha Deva I, on learning about the consequences of his severe orders, was resentful and spared their lives.