Modhera Sun temple
Topic: Early Medieval North India: Harsha to the Rajputs · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Modhera Sun temple is a temple to Surya, the Sun god, at Modhera in north Gujarat. It was built in c. 1026–27, when Bhima I of the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty ruled. The Chaulukyas ruled Gujarat from their capital Anahilavada (Patan). The temple was built soon after Mahmud of Ghazni's raid on Somnath. It shows that temple building went on strongly in western India.
Example
The temple has three parts in a line. First comes a deep stepped water tank called the Surya Kund. Next is a richly carved, pillared dance hall (sabha mandapa). Last is the main shrine. In 2022, Modhera village was declared India's first solar-powered village, which links the old Sun temple with modern solar energy.
Don't confuse with
- Konark Sun temple: in Odisha, built by the Eastern Gangas in the mid-13th century, shaped like a giant chariot.
- Chalukyas of the Deccan: a different dynasty. Modhera belongs to the Chaulukyas/Solankis of Gujarat.
Related concepts
- Agnikula legend
- Paramaras
- Raja Bhoja
- Bhojeshwar temple
- Bhojshala
- Samarangana Sutradhara
- Chandela dynasty
- Khajuraho group of monuments
- Kandariya Mahadeva temple
- Chaulukya dynasty