Case file · Folklore / legend
The lodestone of Konark
Legend says the Sun Temple at Konark (built around 1250) once held a huge lodestone at its peak that suspended the idol in air and drew passing ships ashore, until Portuguese sailors removed it.
1250 CE · 19.89, 86.09 · status: legend
The sceptical view
No historical record supports the magnet; the story explains the tower's later collapse and the 'Black Pagoda' warnings in sailors' charts.