I was surprised to visit the Konark temple recently because things have really changed a lot (and I mean it in a positive way) from the last time I visited. The Konark sun temple in itself is like it was although time has taken a toll on its magnificence. However, the recent change that I noticed is how the Indian Oil Corporation has taken a step in preserving the history of the temple and presenting it to the general public in such a nice way. Before you enter the main temple you have a picturesque courtyard adorned with flowering bushes and statues and you have a museum and convention centre (maintained by Indian Oil Corporation). The entry fees is 50/- per head but it is worth it. Inside the museum you will find the replicas of the different statues and works of art that adorned the sun temple including the three giant statues of the sun god depicting the rising sun, mid day sun and the setting sun. There is an auditorium where you can watch a 15 minute documentary about the past history of the temple including when why and how it was constructed. The animated video was fun to watch and also very informative. All this is just about the museum and you have not entered the main temple yet. After coming out of the museum you can go to visit the main temple. You have to buy separate tickets for that and the cost of the ticket is 40/- per head. There is not much that I have to say regarding the main temple. This was once the most famous sun temple but with the passage of time it has been reduced to ruins. However, the works of art are still visible and you can still marvel at how people created something so grand so long ago.