Swami Madhava Chaitanya,
There was no logic but Von Schedvin followed her heart, she went with PK to meet his father in Odisha where the couple received tribal blessings. She said later "I didn't think, I just followed my heart 100%" "There was no logic," she said. I met his father, brothers, and sister. I liked them and they liked me. It was like coming home. I believe in reincarnation, I felt very strongly—and still do—that I had lived in India before. We had a tribal ceremony. His elder brother went into his puja room and sat there meditating for some time. Then he came out with a broad smile and said, “Yes, this is the woman you’re going to get married to. Follow her footsteps.”
Von Schedvin, whose family came from Swedish nobility got doubt what to do? She knew it is quite unnatural for her to marry a poor man from the tribal scheduled cast. At the same time, she had realized the innocence of PK, she knew PK was not manipulating anything. He just followed his horoscope predictions and she too believed in the theory of incarnations. But she was still confused. PK understood her confusion, he invited her to visit the famous Konark Sun temple. Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Sun Temple at Konark about 35 kilometers northeast from Puri on the coastline of Odisha, India.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Konark Sun temple is a striking model of ancient artistry, the fluidity of ideas, and a pedagogic treasury. It is dedicated to the sun god, Surya. The first rays of the sun fall on the entrance of the temple. Much of the temple has fallen into rack and ruin but what remains still holds enough charm to captivate. An interpretation of a greater imagination, it has seen empires rise and fall, identities washed away, yet appealing to our sensorium even today.
Believed to have been built in the 13th century CE the temple was built by the King Narasimhadeva(I) hailing from the Eastern Ganga dynasty between 1238-1250 CE. The temple was commissioned by the king while Samantaraya Mahapatra was the one in charge of its construction. "Konark" means the sun and the four corners. The temple was called Black Pagoda attributing to its dark facade by the Europeans who used it for navigation for their ships. It is said that the temple could draw ships to the shore due to its magnetic powers.
The temple is known for its impressive Kalinga architecture that includes a depiction of a 100 ft. high chariot being pulled by horses and wheels carved out of a single stone. The monument portrays the imposing chariot of the sun god. Built of Khondalite rocks, the original temple had 230 ft. high sanctum which no longer exists, 128 ft. high audience hall, dance hall, dining hall which survives still. There are 24 intricately designed wheels, 12 ft. in diameter which are seen drawn by horses. These seven horses represent the week, the wheels stand for 12 months while the day-cycle is symbolized by the eight spokes in the wheels. And this whole depiction tells how the time is controlled by the sun – is the very illustration of the Surya in the Hindu mythology traveling from the east in his chariot escorted by his charioteer, Aruna. A few years back I got a golden opportunity to visit the marvelous Konark Sun temple; Words cannot describe the joy I felt when I saw the beautiful Konark Sun temple.
Charlotte Von Schedvin later said, "I became emotional when PK showed me the Konark sun temple. I had this image of the temple stone wheel framed in my student room back in London, but I had no idea where this place actually was. And here I was standing in front of it." Charlotte's mind calmed down, maybe the self-illuminated God sun gave her the right direction, she realized her Destiny. Charlotte's heart answered to her "this is your life partner". She lost all kinds of confusion and gave the green signal for their wedding. The two fell in love and returned to PK village. Later PK said "She wore a sari when she met my father for the first time. I still don't know how she managed. With blessings from my father and family, we got married according to tribal tradition". They both returned to Delhi after spending a few days in PK village.
Charlotte took the Indian name "Charulata" and their married life began in a one-room house in Lodhi Colony Barsati in New Delhi. After just below one month together, circumstances forced Charlotte to travel away from him. She had to return to her home Sweden. She asked PK to come along. However, PK was still a student and wanted to finish his studies. She said goodbye to him and started her return journey. PK promised that he would follow her to her home in the Swedish textile town of Boras. More than a year passed and the two kept in touch through letters. But the separation was painful, PK decided to go to Swedish town Boras to meet his wife.
The interesting journey of PK's Swedish textile town Boras will reveal in the next part of this story.
The next part of the story will upload very soon.
