Altogether 500 artisans will work for eight to nine years for construction of the majestic shrine
Bhubaneswar: The second Sun temple along Bhubaneswar-Puri National Highway will be erected without any assistance from either the Central or the state government, said Padma Vibhusan Raghunath Mohapatra recently.
Noted architect and sculptor Mohapatra has planned to build a replica of the world famous Sun temple at Konark in Puri district near the Bhubaneswar-Puri National Highway. Sources said the replica of the 13th century shrine will come up on 60 acre land in between Satasankha and Sakhigopal in Puri district.
“Altogether 500 artisans will work for eight to nine years for construction of the majestic shrine. We have prepared an estimate of Rs 300 crore for the project. The second Sun temple will be built without any assistance from Union or state government. We have arranged land for the proposed shrine. Work for the project will be initiated within three months,” Mohapatra asserted.
It is learnt that Mohapatra will engage several artisans from Nilagiri, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Ratnagiri and Puri for construction of the temple. “The new temple will be known as Aditya Narayan shrine. I have prepared a design for the temple and presented it before Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Our artisans have already prepared two wheels and a few decorative pieces for the proposed shrine,” he claimed.
Legends have it that king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty had engaged 1,200 artisans to construct the Sun temple, popularly known as ‘Black Pagoda’. These skilled workers had taken almost 12 years to build the shrine, dedicated to the Sun God. The shrine has been recognised as World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO).
PNN