The Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat shouldn’t be used for worship as a result of the statue of the lord and the ‘shikhar’ had been destroyed. (Photo: Nivedita Singh/ News18)
The inside sanctum or the Garbhgruh of Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat, located on the Tropic of Cancer, shines like a diamond on the equinoxes, as the primary rays of the solar enter the construction
Did you already know Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat is far older than the favored Sun Temple in Odisha’s Konark?
According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the Modhera Sun Temple was inbuilt 1026-27 CE in the course of the reign of Bhima I of the Chaulukya dynasty. While Konark Sun Temple was made in the course of the thirteenth century, round 35 km from Puri metropolis.
News18 travelled to the Modhera Sun Temple on the seventh day of the IRCTC-operated Garvi Gujarat practice, capturing the essence of the historic marvel.
Every inch of the temple’s partitions showcases edgy and detailed carvings that symbolize each bit of Indian tradition from Ramayana to Mahabharata, to the cycle of human lifecycle and Kamasutra.
Nothing a lot is seen from the primary entrance however as one walks inside, the gorgeous grand construction turns into clearer.
The temple advanced is split into three elements — Garbhgruh (the shrine corridor), Sabhamandapa (the meeting corridor) and Kunda (the reservoir).
Across the Surya Kunda there’s a stepwell form of construction, with small pyramidal stairways, that comprises 108 shrines of numerous Gods and demi-gods. Three foremost shrines positioned on the three sides of the Kund are devoted to Ganesh and Vishnu and Shiva whereas on the fourth facet is the Sun Temple.
The inside sanctum or the Garbhgruh of this temple, located on the Tropic of Cancer, shines like a diamond on the equinoxes, as the primary rays of the solar enter the construction.
According to Girish Goswami, who works as a native information, there was a grand statue of Surya within the Garbhgruh which is now not there.
“This temple is not used for worship because of a number of reasons. One, the statue of the lord was destroyed. And another being the top of this temple, called ‘shikar’, was also destroyed,” Goswami mentioned whereas speaking to News18.
Speaking in regards to the entry of daylight on equinoxes, he defined that the construction was designed with a excellent planning and precision of the structure that solar rays enter the primary sanctum.
“The idol of the Sun had diamonds and in those days, light used to further reflect to other idols from the correctly placed diamond on the head of Sun God,” he mentioned.
He mentioned the place the place the idol stood is locked now has round 20 toes deep pit to cover treasured metals.
“The statue was destroyed as a result of the Muslim rulers needed to remove these hidden treasured metals.”
He also said the Sabha Mandap of the temple stands on 52 pillars — depicting the 52 weeks in a year.
Modhera finds a mention in the ancient scriptures like Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana. The old texts also refer to Modhera and its surrounding areas as Dharmaranya or the forest of righteousness.
The next and the last stop of the trip was magnificent Rani ki Vav, which was supposed to be built from the leftover sandstone from the Sun Temple.
The step well was built in 1063 by Rani Udayamati of the Chaulukya Dynasty to commemorate her husband, Bhimdev I.
The structure is in a very good shape, according to the guide. It was completely buried under silt for several hundred years and only the shaft and few pillars were visible. The stepwell was rediscovered in the 1940s, and the Archeological Survey of India restored it in the 1980s.
The stepwell has been listed as one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites since 2014.
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