ANCIENT SUNDIALS OF ODISHA
Nikunja Bihari Sahu
A Sundial is a simple instrument to give
an idea of time from the shadow of a pointer (called the Style) cast by the Sun
on a graduated dial. It did not require any battery or electricity for
operation , it continues to work as long as the Sun is there in the sky. The sundials vary in size and can be as large
as the largest sundial of the world, the Samrat Yantra ( Height : 90 ft , built
by Sawai Jai Singh-II, the King of Jaipur
in 1734 A.D. ) which is capable of measuring time up to 2
seconds accurately . Although colossal
sundials like Samrat Yantra are not seen
in Odisha, small sundials, mostly made up
of metal or stone, are found to be
existing at places like Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Konark, Kendrapara, Baramba,
Khandapara, Madhupurgarh etc. . These were
mostly constructed during the early twentieth century of the colonial British
period. The devices were generally located in public places like Kachery to
enable people to keep track of time. The possibility of sundials existing at
other places of the state cannot be ruled out. The sundials clearly enjoyed a
period of glory for quite some time which eventually
dwindled to oblivion after the introduction of mechanical clocks by the
Europeans.
In
most devices, each hour is divided into 4 divisions and each division into 3
smaller divisions. Thus the dials were sensitive enough to indicate a minimum
time interval of 5 minutes which is equivalent to one small division on the
dial. It is important to
understand that while a clock indicates the Indian Standard Time (IST), a
Sundial, on the other hand, records the Local Time.
The Sun temple as an Emblem of Sundial
The magnificent Sun-temple of Konark,
built in 13th century AD, was designed into a huge chariot with its richly
sculptured wheels acting as sundials. Each decorated wheel consists of 8 thicker
spokes that indicates 8 ‘Praharas’ of a day: one Prahara being equal to 3 hours
of time. There is a thinner spoke in between the two thicker spokes which
represents 1.5 hours of time. The wheels are placed along the East – West plane
of the place and when the Sun moves in the sky over these wheels, the hub of
the wheel casts shadow on the spokes indicating time. While 12 wheels are
placed along the Northern side of the temple, the remaining 12 wheels are
placed along the Southern side of the temple. During the Southward journey of
the Sun off the Equator towards the Southern Solstice, time is indicated on the
12 set of wheels located on the Southern side of the temple. Similarly, during
the Northward journey of the Sun off the Equator towards the Northern Solstice,
time is indicated on the 12 set of wheels located on the Northern side of the
temple. Finer measure of time is also possible
on the wheels. There are 60 beads placed along the periphery of the wheel
between each two thicker spokes, each bead representing 180/60 i.e. 3 minutes
of time.
Sundial of Mukteswar
temple, Bhubaneswar
Made up of stone, the sundial in the
premises of the Mukteswar temple, Bhubaneswar belongs to horizontal category
(The Dial is kept parallel to the horizontal) and is still in working
condition. However, visitors generally
ignore the sight assuming it as a stone heap.
This has a large circular dial. But due
to many high buildings and trees located on the southern side of the sundial,
sunlight is often obstructed leaving the device non-operational for some part
of the day. Accounts of its designer and the construction period are not known.
Sundial of Ravenshaw University,
Cuttack
The sundial
was designed by Mr. R.C. Choudhury of the Chemistry Department of Ravenshaw
College, Cuttack in the year 1902. Made up of brass, the device belongs to
horizontal category and is in working condition till now.
Sundial of Konark
While it originally
stood in a desolate place in the premises of the Inspection Bungalow of Konark near
the Sun temple, now it has been shifted to a new location inside the Museum
premises. This has a rectangular dial. Made up of stone, the dial belongs to
horizontal category. Designer: Rai Prasanna Kumar Pal Sahib, Asst. Engineer;
Construction period: 1906. The device is still in working condition.
Sundial of Kendrapara
This is a huge sundial made up of bricks
and stones and stands in the Kachery campus of Kendrapara. It belongs to
horizontal category. Apathy by the
locals and lack of conservation measures by the Government have
taken a heavy toll of the device leaving it in a state of ruins. Vertical cracks have
developed in the sundial and rainwater seeps through it. Unwanted vegetations have
mushroomed near the instrument and the locals mostly use the dial for purpose
of defecation. Now, the local authorities have painted the dial with tricolor
which has spoiled its antique value. Although accounts of its designer and
the construction period are not clearly known, it is said that the instrument
was commissioned to commemorate the Golden jubilee of the reign of Queen
Victoria in 1887.
Sundial of Khandapara
This is an Equatorial sundial made up of brass
and stands in the Kachery campus of Khandapara. However, its Style is damaged leaving only
the Dial , and hence , the sundial is in a state of defunct. It was designed by Shri
Gadadhar Sinha Samanta, the son of Samanta Chandrasekhar, the illustrious
astronomer of Orissa.
Sundial of Baramba
This is an Equatorial sundial made up of
brass that stands in the Tahsil office campus of Baramba. The Dial is
beautifully designed into a crescent moon shape. However, the Style is damaged and
dislocated from the dial leaving it in a state of defunct. Accounts of its designer
and the construction period are not known.
Sundial of Madhupurgarh
A small
horizontal sundial is found to exist in the premises of Madhupur High school,
Kalana of Jajpur district. This was built by Shri Narayan Chandra Dhir
Narendra, the then king of Madhupurgarh in the beginning of the twentieth century.
The Style is made up of iron.
Conservation
Although a Sundial is easy to construct,
its installation, alignment and graduation is quite difficult to achieve and
needs precise measurements. Firstly, the pointer has to be aligned towards the
North and kept elevated from the ground by the local latitude angle so that it
points to the Pole Star and becomes parallel to the Earth’s axis. Secondly, in
an Equatorial dial, the Dial has to be aligned in a plane perpendicular to the
Pointer. Thirdly, while in an Equatorial dial hour-lines are uniformly spaced,
in a Horizontal type, hour-lines are not uniformly spaced and are given by a
trigonometric formula. Hence designing of a Sundial requires knowledge of
astronomy, trigonometry, geometry and computing. The fact that our state has a
number of Sundials testifies the mathematical prowess of their designers, and
hence, these devices are invaluable assets of our heritage. Hence, these
ancient masterpieces of time need upkeep and maintenance for its preservation.
The damaged components should be replaced and
calibration of the dial redone. Operational instructions on the devices should
be provided for the benefit of common man and a table for Equation of Time
should be incorporated to convert the observed time (Local Time) from the
sundial to the Indian Standard time (IST) for meaningful use by the visitors.
Encroachment from the vicinity should be cleared to allow sunlight to fall
continuously for uninterrupted operation of the device throughout the day.
Finally, adequate publicly should be given to attract scholars for study and
research.
Further Reading
- An
article in Oriya on “Sundial of
Mukteswar Temple” : Bigyana Diganta (October, 2006) by N.B.Sahu
- An
article in Oriya on “Sundial” :
Bigyana Diganta (July- August,1996) by N.B.Sahu
- An article in Oriya on “Sundials of Orissa” : Utkal
Prasanga (July,1998) by N.B.Sahu
- An
article in English on “Sundials of
Orissa” : Orissa Review (September-October, 2005) by N.B.Sahu
- An
article in English on “Sundials of
Baramba” : Orissa Review (February-March, 2017) by N.B.Sahu
Education Officer
Regional Science Centre
Bhopal
Phone: 8018708858
Sundial of Mukteswar Temple, Bhubaneswar
Sundial of Madhupurgarh
Sundial of Konark
Sundial of Khandapara
Sundial of Kendrapara
Sundial of Baramba
Sundial of Ravenshaw University, Cuttack
Konark Wheel as an Emblem of Sundial
Decorated sundial of Konark Temple
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