It was rather cold when we left Ahmedabad but the sun was all in its glory as we reached Modhera, a 100 km away. It was, after all, the sun’s turf. King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty, believed to be descendants of the Sun God called Suryavanshis, had built this temple in the 11th century dedicating it to Surya. It is believed that the worship of Surya would have dated back to the 5th century BC and it lasted almost until the medieval period.
My first glimpse of the sun temple was its shimmering reflection in the Suryakund or Ramakund, a large rectangular stepped tank used to store pure water, which forms an essential part of the shrine.
The Ramakund or Suryakund is as auspicious as the main temple, as 108 miniature shrines are carved inside the stepped well, which has four terraces to take you down to the water. They are dedicated to a pantheon of deities include Vishnu, Ganesha, Shiva and Sitlamata.
The main temple faces east so that the rays of the sun lit the idol carved in the main shrine. The structure is divided into three parts - starting from the Ramakunda, which then leads to a Sabha Mandapa, or the assembly hall called Sita Chavadi, and then the final garba griha or the shrine.
Modhera, located close to the erstwhile Solanki capital of Patan, was once a flourishing port and the temple was built on the banks of the Pushpavati River. However, there are several legends around it, the earliest taking you to the Ramayana.
It is believed that Lord Rama arrived here on Sage Vashistha’s advice to wash off his sins for committing Brahma-hatya as he had killed Ravana, a Brahmin by birth. He came to a village called Modherak to perform a yagna and called it Sitlapur. According to the Puranas, it is believed that the region was called Dharmaranya and the village later came to be known as Modhera.
Standing in front of the Sabha Mantap, I saw two massive ornamental arches that form a gateway to this hall filled with 52 intricately carved pillars, symbolising 52 weeks in a year.
Both the interior and exterior walls of the temple and the ceiling are replete with carvings that depict the epics – Ramayana and Mahabharata, besides stories from the pantheon of other deities.
Almost every aspect of the temple is a representation of time. If the pillars represented 52 weeks in a year, the 12 niches on the walls represent the months in a calendar year and it showcases different images of the Sun God – Aditya. The most common image is that of the deity riding his chariot drawn by seven horses, with the God of dawn, Arun, pictured as his charioteer, seated on one of them.
The temple is built on the base of a lotus flower, which is believed to open and close with sunrise and sunset. Besides Surya, there are also images of the Devas – Indra, their king, Agni, the God of fire, Varuna, the God of the seas, Vishwakarma, the Architect of Gods, besides other deities.
It is believed that the main idol was carved in gold and was placed inside a deep pit and filled with gold coins. However, it was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni, who took the idol along with him. The temple, however, was finally destroyed by Alauddin Khilji and it was only recently renovated.
Like the Konark Temple, this monument is also known for its erotic sculptures that are found almost everywhere on the exterior walls of the temple. It is believed that sex was then considered an important aspect of fertility cults and rituals and hence was not referred to as taboo.
The sexual iconography depicts various postures and includes carvings of birth and eventually death as well. As my guide says, the sculptures are actually a depiction of time and life as well.
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