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99
kms from Ahmedabad, the 11th century
Sun temple of Modhera is easily one
of the finest examples of devotional
in western India. Built by the Solanki
Rajput kings, the aid of donations
from the people, the temple features
carved torana arches mounted on kirti
stambhas (pillars of victory) as the
entrances, a large rectangular stepped
with 108 smaller shrines, an exquisite
52 pillared portico, beautiful domed
central portion and a sanctum sanctoruim
designed so that the sun light fell
on the bejewelled statue of the God,
specially at sunrise during the equinox.
The exterior of temple is carved with
traditional erotic scenes, rivalling
at Konark and Khajurao, and depictions
of various Gods and, while inside
are friezes of the Mahabharata and
portrayed on the pillars. The temple
is framed by a well garden, and sits
on the banks of river Pushpawati.
There is a cafeteria here run by the
Tourism corporation of India tea,
and a PWD Guest House.
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The golden period of architecture
in Gujarat came during the
rule of the Solanki dynasty,
with some splendid architectural
wonders coming up during the
9th-12th century. Forts at
Dabhoi and Jhinjwada, the
Hindu temples of Modhera,
Somnath(earlier incarnation),
Ghumli, Gope, Bileshwar, Kera
and Shamlaji, the Jain temples
of Girnar,Kumbhariyaji,Mt
Abu and Taranga, and attractive
places for harvesting water-Brahma
kund at Sihore, Sahasralings
talao at Patan, Munsar tank
at Viramgam, the stepwells
of Patan and Ghumli-came up
during this golden era. The
most importanty of this period
is Modhera, the Sun temple
built in 1026 AD by Bhimadeva
of the Solanki Rajput clan
which ruled the whole of what
is now known as Gujarat and
neighbouring parts of Rajputana
and Malwa from the 8th to
the 13th century, before losing
to their relatives the
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Sun temple |
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Waghelas and later submitting entirely
to Muslim rule.The work of building
the temple was commissioned to the Silavat
stone masons, who did not make any designs
on paper but followed certain hereditary
principals of architecture and astronomy,
and using simple carving tools, they
had an amazing ability to make the hardest
stone take on the quality of delicate
wood carving, as amply demonstrated
in the marble temples of Dilwara and
the sandstone mansions of Jaisalmer.
Their crafts were well guarded secrets,
passed on only from father to son, and
being secular by nature, they also worked
on some of the fabulous Indo-Saracenic
mosques of the Ahmed Shahi sultanate
in Ahmedabad, combining Islamic architecture
with plenty of Hinduistic ornamantation.
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Sun temple,
Modhera |
The Sun temple is not very large
or as imposing as may be supposed
by those who have seen other
Hindu temples in India, but
even from a distance it is obvious
that it is covered by intricate
carvings of Gods, Goddesses,
men, women and animals in numbers
out of all proportion to its
actual size, and is a true gem
in the architectural annals
of India. The whole is outclassed
by the incredible rectangular
step tank or Surya kund, a majestic
100 sq meter rectangular pond,
with interesting shrines, said
to total 108 in all, the auspicious
number of flowers on a garlandLarger
shrines to Vishnu, Ganesha and
the Natraja incarnation of Shiva
in Tandav stand on 3 sides of
the Surya Kund, with the Sabha
mandap of the principal temple
soaring on the fourth side,
to remind you that this is the
domain of the Sun God.
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