Iron in Ancient India c6.s5.1

c6.s5.1

Orissa is famous for her temples. The magnificent temple at Bhubaneswar, the black pagoda of Konarak, and the white pagoda of Puri are remarkable specimens of Hindu architecture of the Middle Ages. Of these gigantic temples the one at Bhubaneswar is the oldest, being constructed in A.D. 640. The temple of Puri was built in the 12th century (A.D. 1174). From architectural considerations Fergusson was of opinion that the black pagoda at Konarak, which was so similar in workmanship to the great temple at Bhubaneswar, must have been built two or three centuries after the Bhubaneswar temple, but certainly before the time of the erection of the Puri temples. Mr. Bishan Swarup in his excellent work on the Konarak temple concludes after a careful examination of old records and literature on the subject "that the temple of Konarka was built by Purandra Kesari in the latter half of the 9th century and its Natmandir was constructed in A.D. 1241 by Raja (Nagroo) Narsinha Deva of the Gangetic dynasty."²