The Hindu Business Line : A shrine to the sun

Resting on a knoll in the village of Modhera, the Sun Temple stands grand and majestic even in ruins. The temple, dedicated to the Sun God, was built in 1026 A.D. and joins Konark in Orissa and Martand in Kashmir to form the trio of the most renowned Sun temples in India. Modhera, the most important of several sun temples in Gujarat, was built during the reign of King Bhimdev I of the Solanki Dynasty.

The Solanki Rajputs reigned supreme over Gujarat and parts of neighbouring Malwa and Rajputana from the 8th to 13th Century. The temple itself was the handiwork of the Silavat masons who, without drafting designs on paper, deftly adhered to their ancestral principles of architecture and astronomy in building the structure. They used simple carving tools to chisel motifs on stone, to achieve delicate portrayals with an eye for minute details as if they were chiselling figures from soft wood! Needless to say these masons took great pride in their unique craft and kept it a guarded family secret.

The edifice is an example of architectural artistry at its creative best, with every inch of its exterior carved exquisitely with motifs of the Hindu pantheon of deities, apsaras, blossoms, birds and animals. The inner sanctum that housed the idol of the Sun God is dark and was so designed that at solar equinoxes, the idol would be kissed and set aglow by the first rays of the rising sun.

Ramayana association

Modhera or Modherapura, also known as Mundera, is said to have been the original settlement of Modha brahmins. Legends associate the town with the Ramayana, believing that it was a gift to the Modha brahmins on the occasion of the wedding of Rama and Sita. Skanda Purana mentions it was the place of pilgrimage to which Rama was directed by sage Vasisht to wash his sin from slaying a brahmin after defeating the demon king Ravana.

Like several temple structures that faced the wrath of ruthless conquerors and invaders, Modhera too suffered. Many of the sculptures have become defaced or have broken limbs and crown. Mohammad Ghazni is believed to have destroyed a significant portion of the temple including its shikar or tower. History records that bags of gunpowder were placed in the underground shrine to blow up various segments of the temple structure.

The beauty of this heritage monument perhaps owes to the fact that the temple complex was built in accordance with Shilpa sastra, which finely blends architectural aesthetics with essentials.

The structure consists of the sanctum sanctorum, an inner hall and an assembly or outer hall. The inner hall opens out from the sanctum sanctorum and has an octagonal nave embellished with a magnificentl carved dome. By contrast, its inside walls are bare but broken by niches containing figures of Surya, the sun god. While the walls themselves are plain, the pillars of the hall portray exquisitely carved scenes from the Ramayana. The assembly hall is ornamentally sculpted with events from the Mahabharata.

Water tank

As we stepped out of the assembly hall, we were faced with twin pillars that were evidently bereft of their crowning arch. We entered what was once an archway leading to the Suryakund or Ramkund; this magnificent water tank is a major attraction at the Modhera Temple. A flight of steps leads to the base of the tank which was dry during our visit. We were told that the tank filled up with a good amount of water during the monsoons but remains pretty much waterless for most of the year. The tank boasts 108 shrines, symbolic of the auspicious number of flowers on a garland, each dedicated to one of the many Hindu gods. However, on three sides of the tank, larger shrines have been dedicated to Shiva in the form of Nataraja, Vishnu and Ganesh. The fourth side, is a reminder that the main deity here is the Sun God and hence leads first to the Assembly Hall and then to the sanctum sanctorum.

A lush garden and a small open archaeological museum frame the temple which also has a cafeteria and Government guest-house in its precincts. A large dharmshala or resthouse serves to accommodate pilgrims who throng the temple during festivals, especially the Mahotta Parv. For three days in January every year, The Modhera Sun Temple serves as the backdrop for the Festival of Indian Classical Dances, organised by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat. Besides attracting artistes from all over the country, the festival lures spectators from across the world.

Fact file

Modhera is 102 km northwest of Ahmedabad in Mehsana district, Gujarat.

Air: Nearest airport is Ahmedabad.

Rail: Mehsana (30 km from Modhera) is the nearest station.

Road: There are direct buses from Ahmedabad to Modhera which take around three-and-a-half hours. Travel by car takes an hour less.

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