Navagraha Temple, or the nine planets temple, near Konark Sun Temple is dedicatead to the Navgrahas in Hinduism. The temple houses a huge slab originally set above the Jagamohana (doorway) of the Konark Temple.
The chlorite slab 20 feet long, four feet high and 7 feet have murtis of the navagrahas – Surya, Chandra, Rahu, Ketu, Brihaspati, Budha, Mangal, Shukra and Shani – carved in them.
In the temple on the slab:
- Surya stands on a vehicle driven by seven horses and holds lotuses in his both hands.
- Chandra rides on a swan and carries discs of moon in his both hands.
- Mangal rides a goat and holds a sword like thing in his right hand and human heads in the left hand.
- Budha sits on a lotus and holds bow and arrow in his two hands.
- Brihaspati sits on a lotus and holds rosary and kamandalu in his hands.
- Shukra sits on lotus and holds rosary and kamandalu in his hands.
- Shani sits on a tortoise and holds a rod in this hand.
- Rahu is depicted as holding Surya and Chandra in this hands.
- Ketu has the lower part of a serpent and is seen holding noose and a sword.
All the nine murtis have high pointed crowns.
History of the Konark Navagraha Temple
When the slab was discovered among the ruins by the Asiatic Society of Bengal, they cut the slab longitudinally in 1893 AD to transport it to museum in Kolkata. But its heaviness and the sand all around it did not permit it to be transported.
The slab was lying there for more than sixty years. Recently, the Government of India moved it near to the Konark Sun Temple compound.
Today regular puja is performed here.