Source: Religion News Service
BHUBANESWAR, India (RNS) — Brigitte Viollet, a French businesswoman, spends three months of every year in the company of the Sun Temple in Konark, an ancient settlement on the east coast of India. Built in the 13th century by King Narasingha Deva I, the Sun Temple was designed as a colossal chariot mounted on 12 pairs of ornamented wheels to honor the Hindu god of the sun, Surya.
Seven horses pull the chariot eastward toward dawn, symbolizing the seven days of the week. The spokes of the wheels make a sundial that helped ancient sages calculate time.
“The scientific spirit and aesthetic sensibilities of ancient India are unmatched,” said Viollet, who is one of some 50,000 visitors the temple draws every year.
Categories: Asia, India, The Muslim Times