Konark Festival

 Bhubaneswar, the capital of Odisha, is also popularly known as the "Temple City of  India". Hundreds of temples dot the landscape of the Old Town, which once boasted  of more than 2000 temples. Bhubaneswar is the place where temple building  activities of Odishan style flowered from its very inception to its fullest culmination  extending over a period of over one thousand years.

 Every ancient temple or building tells the saga of India's rich heritage, scientific and  architectural marvel and extreme devotion. The Konark Sun Temple located on the shores of the Bay of Bengal in the small town of Konark of district Puri, Odisha is an outstanding proof of all this. Konark Sun Temple is 35 kms to the north-east of Puri lies the World Heritage Monument, the Sun Temple of Konark.

Konark temple is Widely known as Sun temple and one of the strange monument of the world , it was built by ruler Narasimha dev-I in AD 1200, what history says.

Twelve hundred craftsmen had toiled hard for 12 long years to erect this monumental wonder where 12 years revenue was spent. Modelled after the floating chariot of the mythical Sun God temple, the temple is a quintessence of imaginative craftsmanship of ancient Odisha. The temple architecture was designed as drawn by twelve exquisitely carved stone wheels and seven galloping horses. And the kings, queens, generals, foot soldiers, sages, priests, elephants, horses, courtiers and courtesans depicted on the walls and the panels with finesse open a window to the nostalgic times of medieval Odisha.

Every year in bhubaneswar a huge festival organized by Odisha tourism in an Open Air Auditorium, which is called Annual konark festival. It celebrated from 1st to 5th December every year.

Showcase a magical parade of India's classical and traditional dance forms. Eminent dancers and their troupe delight visitors in the wintry evening of early December with dramatic choreographies. It is a festival of classical dances of India performed at the backdrop of the Sun Temple, Konark. Konark Festival was organised for the first time in 1989 in the Open Air Auditorium at Konark constructed with the financial assistance of Government of India.

In this official Annual Konark Festival, which is heartly presents by Odisha Tourism , here they especially features a range of classical Odissi, Bharatnatyam, Manipuri, Kathakali, Kuchipudi and Chau dance performances an all. This year 2016 festival details are as follows…