'Konark Lions' - by K J S Chatrath

I visited the Sun Temple at Konark about a fortnight back and was reminded of my first visit there in  1968 when I had just stood in front of it with pure awe at what our ancestors were able to imagine and make way back in the 13th century.

During this latest visit I took some photos of the stone lions there which I am sharing here.

This is the frontal view that one gets on entering  the temple. A lion on an elephant and a human being,crushed by their combined weight.

Lion is a symbol of pride and power. This is why it is associated with Goddess Shakti (Goddess Durga  sits on lion) who is the source of any kind of energy and power.

Elephant is symbol of both wealth and pride…that’s why we can see elephants with Goddess Lakshmi (Gajalakshmi, who is the goddess of wealth). Also, we can see Indra possessing one elephant named Airavat. Indra is the King of Devas who is always proud of his status and feels insecure due to the fear of losing his throne, his wealth and position.

With pride/desire of wealth and power in his mind, a human cannot walk towards God. He cannot make his way towards his spiritual enhancement. Because his condion becomes like the human shown in the sculpture.

This is the reason why such sculptures were placed at both side of the entrance of the shrines, to remind people what pride and desire for wealth and power can do to a human being. To achieve spiritual growth, one must get rid of this desire.

Giant Lion Statue at the Entrance (Nata mandir) of Konark Sun Temple is the mythological Lion which act as the Protector of Sun Temple.Stone carved Architectural Detailed Front View is on the Frame.Konark sun Temple is the 13th Century Historical and Architecturally Important Temple ( also the UNESCO World Heritage Site ) located in Odisha State (Old Orissa State) of India, Asia. It was constructed from oxidized and weathered ferruginous sandstone by King Narasimhadeva (1238-1250 CE) of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty. The temple is an example of Orissan (Orriyan) architecture of the Ganga dynasty. Konark Sun Temple is the Heritage Icon of India for exploring Ancient Indian Architecture to the World. Presently Archaeological Survey of India is maintaining this Wonderful Temple.

 

(Text sourced from the internet)