Marvel Sun Temple Modhera (Surya Mandir Modhera)

Modhera is one of the towns in Mehsana, Gujarat. Modhera Sun Temple- one of the marvels is sure to leave your emotion with a duality of feelings once you visit that place. It’s a varied feeling of both astonishment and amazement. The exactness of this jaw-dropping edifice of Modhera and the hard work of the folks behind this construction is going to leave your mind flabbergasted. And it’ll also leave you tormented when you would know that all these dignities were robbed with one knock of destruction by Mahmud Ghazni. Standing at this moment, the temple of Modhera is just another glorious destruction; a paradox that is lost in time. Many such beautiful temples were down to ruins because of the destruction of Mughals and thus they lie beneath the Earth in the form of lost temples. However, Gujarat tourism has taken this initiative to restore such sites that are old enough to be considered as heritage and are preserved under the initiative of Heritage sites of Gujarat. I really appreciate such initiatives that help preserve our valued culture to showcase our coming generation.

History and details of Sun Temple

The Sun temple of Modhera, which ranks next only to the Sun temple of Konark is one of the best examples of architecture in Gujarat. Temple dates back to the 11th Century A.D and lies in the Becharaji Taluka of Mehsana district. It is marvelously built on the platform called Jagati facing East direction in the reign of Solanki ruler. Also, you can find the name of this place in Skandpurana as Bhaskara region, where Bhaskara stands for the Sun. The Sun Temple is the site of a yearly festival of Indian traditional dances prearranged by the Tourism of Gujarat. The knowledge is to represent classical dance forms in the sky they were formerly presented in. The festival is held in January every year.

It is built on the bank of river Pushpavati, the Modhera Sun Temple, today, attitudes as an archaic temple where no devotion is offered anymore. And you’ll be stunned to identify that this extraordinary part of art was fashioned even earlier the Konark Shrine of Orissa.

Spectacular Sun Temple

To commence with, the entire temple is based on a lotus-shaped edifice and every inch of its walls showcase jittery, detailed carvings. Those statuettes signify every bit of our ethos: from Ramayana to Mahabharata, right from the human lifecycle to Kamasutra. And the whole temple is knowledgeably divided into three sections. The Surya Kund, which is unfathomable, marched tank right in the front of the shrine, was previously used to stockpile pure water. Although there is nothing more than gathered rainwater currently, it is supposed that previously there used to be a secretive spring. The assembly halls or sabha mandapa used to be the place for religious meetings and sessions. Fundamentally built for the pilgrims, this place even had blocks created along the walls for them to sit and rest. You can go to guda mandap by crossing the passage that consists of pillars and arches. Once, this hall used to have the idol of the Sun God before it was looted by Mahmud Ghazni. Still one can see the twelve diverse sides of the Sun God on its parapets. The walk from the kund to guda mandap via the main temple is pragmatic as the journey from death to moksha. It is mesmerizing. The Sanctum has an arrangement of elegantly decorated tall pillars with ornamental toran arch. You can check sculptures representing Saiva cult are Uma-Maheshwara, dancing Ganesha, and images of Goddess Durga, Saptmatrika, etc.

History of Modhera Sun Temple

The Modhera Temple was created under the reign of King Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty. Shaped back in the early 11th century, Modhera has factually been stated on the antiquity pages of Skanda & Brahma Puran. Modhera and its adjacent areas have been mentioned as Dharmaranya or the forest of justice. This place was also blessed by Lord Rama. At present, the temple is commenced by the Archaeological Survey of India for revamping and restoration. In the year 2014, Modhera Sun Temple was added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Modhera Temple and its devotion to the Sun God will leave you dumbfounded. – The temple was so created that during every equinox, the first sunrays would fall on a diamond placed on the head of sun God. The whole temple would brighten in a golden glow. – On other days, two pillars before the garbhagriha would stay illuminated through the day, irrespective of the position of the sun. All of these can only be left to fancy now. However, – the sabha mandap still stands on 52 pillars, portraying the 52 weeks in a year. – carvings of the sun, along with its unity with the other 4 elements-air, water, earth, and space- can be dotted on the walls.

Apart from this temple, you can also visit Modheshwari Mata temple located near the Modhera Surya Mandir. It is one of the eccentric temples that is worshipped by the Modh community worldwide. This temple has an amazing history too. India is a country of God and Goddess and with every place you visit and every community you come across, there will be a deity they follow. It is a place of religion where every aspect of Nature is worshipped in a unique way and every worship has a scientific reason behind it.
Modhera is a fantastic town blessed with peace and tranquillity. During your visit to Gujarat, make sure to visit this place without fail.

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