Sailors used the temple as a landmark the Konark Sun Temple in the eastern state of Odisha in India. European sailors called the temple the Black Pagoda (Kaala Pagoda).
That King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty ordered the construction of the temple around 1250 CE. He hired chief architect Bisu Maharana to design the temple.
The iconography of Surya often shows the Sun God riding a chariot pulled by seven horses. The Konark Sun Temple is a huge chariot with elaborate carvings of stone wheels,pillars and walls.
The wheels of the chariot tell the time.Each wheel has eight spokes and each spoke represents a pahar (3 hours). Therefore, the eight spokes represent 24 hours.
Many surfaces of the temple, including the walls and scriptures, feature very detailed carvings. If you look closely, you’ll see wonderful artworks, depictions and sculptures of Hindu deities
The seven horses of the Konark Sun Temple have names. Those names are Gayatri, Brihati, Ushnih, Jagati, Trishtubha, Anushtubha, and Pankti. They are named after the seven meters or छंद of Sanskrit poetry.