Nikunja Bihari Sahu
Known for its sculptural splendour and elegant stone arch, the 10th century Mukteswar temple in the temple city of Bhubaneswar has one more attraction to offer. In its picturesque lawn stands an ancient sundial that has been ticking away quietly under the Sun for over a century. However, most people ignore it, assuming it to be nothing more than a stone heap.
Lack of publicity has taken its toll on this tireless artifact of time. Cracks have clearly developed on the stone pedestal and the hour-lines (that record time) drawn on the stone platform have withered away due to the merciless onslaught of time. Added to this, many tall trees and buildings located on the southern side of the device obstruct sunlight during the winter (when the Sun’s elevation in the sky is low), marring the record of time. Apathy on the part of the government and ignorance of the locals has left the device in a dilapidated state.
However, this silent timekeeper stands undaunted in testimony to our rich astronomical heritage.
Device
The device consists of a large circular dial made of stone which is graduated with Roman numerals by drawing lines to represent the various hours of a day. Each hour is further divided to indicate a time span of five minutes. A triangular stone piece is mounted on the dial to cast the shadow over the hour-lines. The slant edge of the triangle is pointed towards the pole star in the North so that it remains parallel to the Earth’s axis. As the Sun traverses in its path across the sky, the shadow keeps moving over the graduated dial, recording time.
Like all other sundials, the Mukteswar dial indicates local time – the time corresponding to the place of observation. However, this can be readily converted to Indian Standard Time (as indicated by a watch) by subtracting from it a time span of 14 minutes, as Indian mean longitude is situated west of our meridian by 3.5 degrees and taking into consideration that each degree of longitudinal difference accounts for a passage of four minutes of time.
Construction period
Unfortunately, there is no mention anywhere about the designer and when the sundial was constructed. While the earliest use of sundials can be traced back to 4,000 BC by the Egyptians, its legacy in India is traced to a much later period.
The magnificent Sun Temple of Konark (12th century AD) is built in the shape of a chariot with its wheels designed as sundials. However, it was Sawai Jai Singh, the King of Jaipur, who in the 18th Century popularised sundials by constructing a chain of colossal masonry observatories for astronomical purposes at five different places in India namely, Jaipur, Delhi, Mathura, Varanasi and Ujjain. In Orissa, most sundials were constructed in the early 20th century during the British colonial period. These were mostly built by kings at public places like temples, palaces and schools to help people keep track of time.
The Mukteswar sundial is one of the seven known historic sundials of Orissa, with the other six located in Cuttack, Kendrapara, Konark, Baramba, Khandapara and Madhupur (Jajpur district). The sundials enjoyed a period of monopoly till these were replaced by the mechanical clocks introduced by the British brought from England.
Conservation
As these monuments represent the best scientific and architectural skill of our ancestors, utmost priority should be given for their conservation and upkeep. Any dislocation in the device should be repaired and the obscure hour-lines due to withering should be re-drawn. Instructions depicting the use of the sundial should be provided for the benefit of common people. Obstructions that hinder sunlight to fall on the dial should be cleared or the device should be re-located within the same premises so as to ensure its continuous operation under the sunlight.
The writer is an education officer at Regional Science Centre in Bhubaneswar. He can be reached at nikunja_sahu@rediffmail.com
