The SUN TEMPLE of Konark marks the highest point of achievement of Kalinga architecture depicting the grace, the joy and the rhythm of life all its wondrous variety. There is an endless wealth of decoration from minute patterns in bas-relief done with a jeweller's precision to boldly modeled freestanding sculptures of exceptionally large size. Under the crackling wheels of past events, the Sun Temple has lost its main sanctuary but the remaining structure and the ruins around testify till today the boundless creative energy of Orissan artistes and their impressive contribution to the treasury of Indian Art and building technique. Dedicated to Sun God, this temple was constructed by Raja Narasinghs Deva-I of the Ganga Dynasty was dazzling supreme in the political firmament of India.
That the fame of the this temple as a wonderful monument has spread far beyond the limits of Orissa in the sixteen century is amply borne out not only by the great Vaishnav Saint Chaitanya's (AD-1486-1533) visit to the place but also by the following pithy description which appeared in the A'in-i-Akbari of Abu'l-Fazl, the famous chronicler of the court of Akbar (AD-1556-1605).
The alignment of the Sun Temple is on the east-west direction. The Temple is located in natural surroundings, abounding with casuarinas plantations and other types of trees, which grow on sandy soil. The environment is by and large unspoiled. Gentle undulating topography around the Sun Temple lends some variation to the landscape.