Modhera Sun Temple
The Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat, India - a temple dedicated to the Sun - was built around 1026 CE, by King Bhimdev-I of the Solanki dynasty.
It enjoys the same significance as other two well known sun-temples in India, at Martand in Kashmir and Konark in Orissa. Though prayers are no longer offered here, the temple has religious significance for many. To me it is a fascinating piece of engineering and art.
The temple complex has three main structures - the kunda (sacred pond), the sabha-mandapa (assembly hall) and the gudha-mandapa (prayer hall) - aligned in an east-west axis, with the kunda toward the east, the gudha-mandapa to the west, and the sabha-mandapa in between these. The gudha-mandapa also contains within it the garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum).
If you were an ancient visitor to this complex, you would first descend to the water in the kund, wash your hands, and then climb the 50 or so steps to the sabha-mandapa, walk across it and enter the gudha-mandapa to offer your prayers.
In this photo you see the kunda, and the sabha-mandapa at the far end, as seen from the east.
A fascinating part of the design is that on the days of the solar equinox, the first rays of the rising sun will light up the
garbagriha having a straight path through the sabha-mandapa and the gudha-mandapa. And on the day of summer solstice, the sun shines directly overhead at noon casting no shadow.
The garbagriha housed an idol of the Hindu Sun God Surya, said to be made in gold. Much was lost, including the idol, when Mahmud of Ghazni from Persia (now Iran) plundered it during one of his repeated invasions of India.
A festival of Indian classical dance is held every January here.
Modhera Sun Temple
The Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat, India - a temple dedicated to the Sun - was built around 1026 CE, by King Bhimdev-I of the Solanki dynasty.
It enjoys the same significance as other two well known sun-temples in India, at Martand in Kashmir and Konark in Orissa. Though prayers are no longer offered here, the temple has religious significance for many. To me it is a fascinating piece of engineering and art.
The temple complex has three main structures - the kunda (sacred pond), the sabha-mandapa (assembly hall) and the gudha-mandapa (prayer hall) - aligned in an east-west axis, with the kunda toward the east, the gudha-mandapa to the west, and the sabha-mandapa in between these. The gudha-mandapa also contains within it the garbagriha (sanctum sanctorum).
If you were an ancient visitor to this complex, you would first descend to the water in the kund, wash your hands, and then climb the 50 or so steps to the sabha-mandapa, walk across it and enter the gudha-mandapa to offer your prayers.
In this photo you see the kunda, and the sabha-mandapa at the far end, as seen from the east.
A fascinating part of the design is that on the days of the solar equinox, the first rays of the rising sun will light up the
garbagriha having a straight path through the sabha-mandapa and the gudha-mandapa. And on the day of summer solstice, the sun shines directly overhead at noon casting no shadow.
The garbagriha housed an idol of the Hindu Sun God Surya, said to be made in gold. Much was lost, including the idol, when Mahmud of Ghazni from Persia (now Iran) plundered it during one of his repeated invasions of India.
A festival of Indian classical dance is held every January here.