Modhera Sun Temple
Visiting the marvelous Modhera Sun Temple of Mehsana, Gujarat is sure to leave your heart with a duality of thoughts. It's a mixed feeling of both surprise and anguish. The precision of this jaw-dropping structure of Modhera and the hard work of the thousands behind it is going to leave your mind surprised.
And it'll also leave you anguished when you realize that all these majesties were plundered with one stroke of destruction by Mahmud Ghazni. Standing at this moment, the temple of Modhera is just another magnificent ruin; an enigma that is lost in time.
Modhera Temple and its dedication to the Sun God will leave you stunned. - The temple was so constructed that during every equinox, the first sunrays would fall on a diamond placed on the Sun God's head. And the entire temple would illuminate in a golden glow. - On other days, two pillars before the garbhagriha would stay illuminated throughout the day, regardless of the position of the sun.
All of these can only be left to the imagination now. However, - the sabha mandap still stands on 52 pillars, depicting the 52 weeks in a year. - carvings of the sun, along with its unity with the other 4 elements, water, earth, and space- can be spotted on the walls.’
History of Modhera Sun Temple
As per the Archeological Survey of India, Modhera Sun Temple was built in 1026-27 CE during the reign of Bhima I of the Chaulukya dynasty. As you enter the historical complex, you first come across the magnificent kund known as the Ramakund, built in rectangular shape containing 108 shrines to various gods and demi-gods. Check out the three main shrines positioned on the three sides of the kund, dedicated to Ganesh and Vishnu, and an image of Lord Shiva dancing the ‘tandav’.
Walk up the steps to the ‘Sabha Mandap’ or the assembly and convene with sculpted renderings of twelve ‘Adityas’ (another name for the sun god). The twelve representations carved on the pillars represent the sun according to the twelve months.
After witnessing the 'Sabha Mandap' a visit to the Garbhagruha will feel like a spiritual experience. The statue of the sun god no longer exists and the Suryavanshi Solanki have been scattered into the dust of history for a thousand years but still on the day of the Equinox, one can almost hear the chanting of the prayers, the aroma of incense, the tinkling of bells as the sharp, linear rays of the sun illuminate the inner core of life and light.
Architecture of Modhera Sun Temple
Built-in Maha-Gurjara style, the temple complex is divided into three parts - the main temple with a Garbha Griha and Guda Mandap, a detached Sabha Mandap, and Surya Kunda. Also known as Rama Kund, Surya Kund is a rectangular stepped tank that is used to store water and perform ceremonies for worshiping the Sun God.
An interesting aspect of the kund is that it is marked by 108 miniature shrines at different levels, which can be accessed by staircases found all around the tank. Besides these, there are four larger shrines dedicated to Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganesh, Natraja, and Sitala Mata around the tank.
Beyond the tank are remnants of an ornamented pillared gateway known as the Kirti Torana, which leads to the next structure known as Ranga Mandap or Sabha Mandap. It is a magnificent pillared hall meant for religious gatherings and conferences. It has 52 pillars representing the 52 weeks in a year. Each of these pillars is intricately carved, with every inch of available space depicting scenes from the Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabharata.
The exterior of this open-pillared hall is covered with sculptures and panels depicting deities, social scenes, flora and fauna, and geometric motifs. The Sabha Mandap leads to the main shrine of Surya known as the Guda Mandap, which is further divided into three parts namely the assembly hall, the vestibule, and the sanctum sanctorum. The Guda Mandap has friezes of the Sun God, other gods, and goddesses on its walls.
It is said that the sanctum sanctorum was once used to bear the golden idol of Lord Surya. However, the idol was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni yet the walls represent the Sun God in his 12 different facets of each month. The design of the sanctum was done in a way so that the idol gets the first glimpse of the Sun at equinoxes. The carved walls also depict the aspects of human life like the vicious circle of birth and death.
On the sanctum once stood a towering spiral, which has now crumbled to its base. It is said that the Guda Mandap had a tunnel, which could be used by the members of the royal family to flee, in case of an attack.
Modhera Sun Temple Museum
Just beside the temple complex, there is an Archaeology Museum that houses the intricate stone carvings, some of which have been done on monolithic carved stones. Also, there are many rare artifacts on display even outside the museum, such as sculptures carved on multicolored rocks and stones.
