Konark Sun Temple: Aarti & Puja Schedule

• First light strikes the east-facing chariot, the traditional moment to view the Sun temple; no ritual aarti in the ruined sanctumSunrise (approx 6:00 AM)
• Pilgrims take a ritual dawn bath at nearby Chandrabhaga beach and worship the rising sun; the temple's most sacred dayMagha Saptami (February)

Set expectations before you arrive: Konark has no aarti schedule in the conventional sense. The main sanctuary tower (deul) collapsed long ago, the presiding Surya idol is no longer in place, and the surviving jagamohana was deliberately filled with sand and sealed by conservators to keep it standing. With no consecrated sanctum in worship, there is no daily abhishek, no morning or evening aarti, and no puja-time queue of the kind you plan a visit around at a living temple.

The devotional life instead orbits the sun itself. The traditional act of reverence is to view the temple at sunrise, when the east-facing chariot catches the first light, echoing the very deity it honours. The single most sacred occasion is Magha Saptami in February, when pilgrims gather before dawn at the nearby Chandrabhaga beach, bathe in the sea and offer worship to the rising sun, a rite far older than the standing ruins.

A small Navagraha (nine-planets) panel salvaged from the temple is venerated separately by local priests, and you may see informal offerings there. But the honest way to plan a Konark trip is around light and season, not around aarti bells.

Compiled from public sources including Wikipedia: Konark Sun Temple · Wikipedia: Konark · UNESCO World Heritage List (Sun Temple, Konarak) · Tour My India: Konark Sun Temple. Timings and seasonal closures change; confirm with the temple trust before travelling.