Modhera Sun Temple
This is what you see when you enter the gudha-mandapa - the prayer hall.
At the far end is the garbagriha - the sanctum sanctorum or shrine. It had 2 floors, each measuring 3.6 x 3.6 x 3.6m on the inside. The upper chamber housed the image of the diety. The lower one was possibly used as a treasury, mainly for jewels and money belonging to the temple.
The upper chamber along with its roof has completly collapsed, and all that exists today is a dark pit. The entrance is thus shuttered.
Burgess and Cousens in their work The Architectural Antiquities of Northern Gujarat write 'The Muhammadans, not content with defacing the figure sculptures of this Modhera temple, are said to have placed bags of gunpowder in the underground shrine, and blew it up with the upper cell, destroying the Shikara or tower.' These would have been the marauding armies of Mahmud of Ghazni.
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The Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat, India - a temple dedicated to the Sun - was built around 1026 CE, by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty.
Album:
Modhera Sun Temple
This is what you see when you enter the gudha-mandapa - the prayer hall.
At the far end is the garbagriha - the sanctum sanctorum or shrine. It had 2 floors, each measuring 3.6 x 3.6 x 3.6m on the inside. The upper chamber housed the image of the diety. The lower one was possibly used as a treasury, mainly for jewels and money belonging to the temple.
The upper chamber along with its roof has completly collapsed, and all that exists today is a dark pit. The entrance is thus shuttered.
Burgess and Cousens in their work The Architectural Antiquities of Northern Gujarat write 'The Muhammadans, not content with defacing the figure sculptures of this Modhera temple, are said to have placed bags of gunpowder in the underground shrine, and blew it up with the upper cell, destroying the Shikara or tower.' These would have been the marauding armies of Mahmud of Ghazni.
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The Sun Temple at Modhera, Gujarat, India - a temple dedicated to the Sun - was built around 1026 CE, by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty.
Album: