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Original fileErotic sculptures, Konark 29
A close-up view shows a series of weathered, life-sized stone human heads projecting from a sandstone block. The figures are carved in a high relief typical of Odishan temple architecture, featuring stylized hair buns, ornate earrings, and facial features defined by smooth, eroded surfaces. The central figure wears a tiered headdress, while the flanking figures display distinct coiffures, with the far-right head angled slightly toward the others. The surrounding stone is textured with intricate geometric carvings indicative of the temple's larger structural decorative program.
These sculptures are part of the 13th-century Sun Temple at Konark, a masterpiece of Kalinga architecture dedicated to the solar deity Surya. The temple is renowned for its elaborate stone carvings that integrate religious iconography with depictions of courtly life, music, and human eroticism.
Vedas (Rigveda)
The Konark Sun Temple is dedicated to Surya, the solar deity whose hymns are foundational to the Vedic tradition.
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