The Konark Sun Temple was fashioned from stone in the shape of a massive ornate chariot dedicated to the Sun deity, Surya, in 1250 CE during the reign of the Eastern Ganga King Narsimhadeva-1. In Hindu Vedic artwork, Surya is shown rising in the east and zipping across the sky in a chariot pulled by seven horses. The traditional depiction of him shows him standing resplendently with a lotus flower in each hand while driving the chariot driven by the charioteer Aruna. Gayatri, Brihati, Ushnih, Jagati, Trishtubha, Anushtubha, and Pankti are the names of the seven horses, which are named after the seven metres of Sanskrit prosody.
