Brahma Purana says that the holy shrine of Konaditya is situated on the holy and beautiful shore of the briny sea in the land of Ondadesa or Orissa. The land is endowed with all good qualities. It is full of sands. It abounds in varieties of trees. The shrine of lord sun is famous in the whole world. It is believed that the region yields salvation. The thousand-rayed lord sun is directly present there. He is well known, as Konaditya. He is the bestower of worldly pleasures and liberation. As it is believed that Konaditya is the redeemer of malice it is absolutely necessary that the lord is worshipped by a devotee with utmost dedication.
In order to worship Konaditya it is necessary that on the seventh day in the bright half of the Magha month the devotee should observe fast. After performing purificatory rites he shall take bath in the ocean in the presence of lord Sun. With a pure mind he shall then remember Konaditya with concentration. After performing Tarpana rites for Devas, sages, mortals and Pitris, he shall come out of the sea and wear a pair of cloths free from dirt. It is necessary that the devotee worships the lord with his heart and other organs with sincere faith in the lord. After performing the rite of ablution the devotee should meditate on Sun with absolute concentration.
Brahma Purana states that a devotee who has not received proper initiation should merely repeat the name of the Sun god and make water offerings with faith and fervour since lord sun can be made favourable through devotion. It is said that whether Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, or Sudras, men or women whoever make water offerings to Sun with perfect control over their sense-organs and mind, with great devotional favour and pure conscience, enjoy the desired pleasures and attain the greatest goal in life. Similarly those who remember him as the illuminator of three worlds obtain happiness. The devotee should not worship Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva or the lord of Devas (Indra) unless the water-offering has been made to the Sun-god in the manner prescribed in the Sashtras. According to the Purana the devotee it is said if a man or a woman takes bath in the ocean and offers libation of water to Sun-god and bows down to the deity he or she will obtain the desired benefit thereby.
The devotee shall worship the deity of Konark or Konaditya reciting Vedic Mantras and Tantric texts, with great devotion. Brahma Purana states that a devotee who worships Konaditya with absolute devotion is liberated from all sins and assumes a youthful divine form. He who passes away in the holy centre of the Sun will reach the world of Sun-god and rejoice in heaven together with Devas. Reborn as a man he will become a virtuous king. Moreover becoming united with the Sun-god one is able to attain salvation. Finally Brahma Purana says that the holy centre of Konark on the shores of the ocean yields worldly pleasures and salvation.
