How many pairs of decorative wheels are found on the Konark Sun Temple chariot?

Correct — C. The Sun Temple at Konark is carved as the chariot of Surya, the Sun god, running on 24 stone wheels.

Wheels on a chariot come in pairs: 24 ÷ 2 = 12 pairs → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  10 pairs — 10 pairs would mean 20 wheels. The temple's chariot runs on 24 carved wheels, and 24 halves to 12 pairs, not 10.
• (b)
  11 pairs — 11 pairs would mean 22 wheels, one pair short of the temple's 24. Halve the wheel count and you get 12 pairs.
• (d)
  13 pairs — 13 pairs would mean 26 wheels, one pair more than the temple has. The carved total is 24, which halves to 12 pairs.

The Sun Temple at Konark, on the Odisha coast, is attributed to King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, about 1250 CE. The whole temple is designed as Surya's chariot: carved stone wheels line its base and stone horses draw it.

UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1984, and it appears on the reverse of India's ₹10 note.

Key facts

• The Konark Sun Temple in Odisha is attributed to King Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga dynasty, about 1250 CE.
• It is designed as Surya's chariot on 24 carved stone wheels, that is, 12 pairs.
• UNESCO inscribed the Sun Temple, Konarak, as a World Heritage Site in 1984.
• The Konark Sun Temple is depicted on the reverse of India's ₹10 note.

Common traps

• Reading 12 as the number of wheels. The temple has 24 wheels, and 12 is the count of pairs.
• Confusing Konark in Odisha with the Sun Temple at Modhera in Gujarat.

No directly related past PYQ was found.