Published in "The Hindu Business Line"



Modhera Sun Temple --- An Architectural Delight
Fact File
Modhera is 102 kms north west of Ahmedabad in Mehsana District in the State of Gujarat.
Air: Nearest airport is Ahmedabad.
Rail: Mehasana(30km from Modhera) is the nearest station.
Road: There are direct buses from Ahmedabad to Modhera which take around three and half hours. Travel by car takes an hour less.


Resting on a knoll in the village of Modhera, set against the backdrop of a barren landscape, the Sun Temple stands grand and majestic even in ruins. No rituals, no prayers, no offerings are made here today, but the temple stands testimony to man’s boundless imagination, creative instincts and architectural skills that are beyond compare. No doubt Modhera is quite off the beaten track which perhaps is one reason why it retains its magical charm. The temple, dedicated to the Sun God, was built in 1026 A.D and joins Konark in Orissa and Marthand in Kashmir to form the trio of the most renowned Sun temples in India. Modhera, the most important of several sun temples in Gujarat was built during the reign of King Bhimdev I of the Solanki Dynasty.

The one-hour drive from the city of Ahmedabad to Modhera on good motorable roads, is picturesque, with a profusion of colours depicting, majorly, the village life of the people of Gujarat. Vast stretches of emerald green cotton fields throwing up tufts of white cotton balls, alternate with red chilli and sunflower fields, creating a spectacular medley of colours.

As we come upon the Sun Temple or Surya Mandir as the natives refer to it, we are held spell bound by the sheer plethora of sculptures that bedeck its exterior. The structure rests on lotus petals which run through the length of the temple. The towers of the temple are absent but the arches that characterize its halls are a visual treat with their intricate carvings.

The Solanki Rajputs reigned supreme over Gujarat and parts of neighbouring Malwa and Rajputana from the 8th to the 13th centuries. The temple itself was the handiwork of the Silavat masons who without drafting designs on paper deftly adhered to their ancestral principles of architecture and astronomy in building the structure. They used simple carving tools to mould motifs from stone to achieve delicate portrayals with every eye to minute details as if they were chiseling figures from soft wood! Needless to say these masons took great pride in their unique craft and kept it as guarded family secret.

The edifice is an example of architectural artistry at its creative best, with every inch of its exterior carved exquisitely with motifs of the Hindu pantheon of deities, apsaras, blossoms, birds and animals. The inner sanctum that housed the idol of the Sun God is dark and was so designed that at solar equinoxes, the idol would be kissed and set aglow by the first rays of the rising sun.

Modhera or Modherapura also known as Mundera is said to have been the original settlement of modha Brahmans. Legends associate the town with the Ramayana, believing that it was a gift to the Modha Brahmins on the occasion of the wedding of Rama and Sita.

Like several temple structures that faced the wrath of ruthless conquerors and invaders, Modhera too suffered at the hands of marauding ravagers. Many of the sculptures have become defaced or suffered “amputation” of limbs and crown. Mohammad Ghazni is believed to have destroyed a significant portion of the temple including its shikar or tower. History records that bags of gunpowder were placed in the underground shrine to blow up various segments of the temple structure.

That the beauty of this heritage monument is yet enigmatic and awe-inspiring is perhaps due to the fact that the temple complex built in accordance with shilpasastra, finely blends architectural aesthetics with essentials.

The whole structure stands grandiosely on a basement consisting of the sanctum sanctorum, an inner hall and an assembly or outer hall, overlooking a deep tank with a flight of stone steps. The inner hall opens out from the sanctum sanctorum and has an octagonal nave embellished with a magnificently carved dome. By contrast, its inside walls are bare but broken by niches in each bay, containing figures of Surya. While the walls themselves are plain, the pillars of the hall portray exquisitely carved scenes from the Ramayana. The Assembly hall is ornamentally sculpted with events from the Mahabharata.

As we step out of the Assembly hall, we come bang in front of twin pillars that were evidently bereft of their crowning arch. We entered what was once an archway leading to the spellbinding Suryakund or Ramkund, the 176 feet by 120 feet water tank, a major attraction of Modhera Temple. A flight of steps lead to the base of the tank which is now bone dry. We learn from Gopal Bhai our chauffer who doubles up as our guide as well, that the tank fills up with a good amount of water during the monsoons but remains pretty much waterless, for most of the year. The tank boasts 108 shrines, symbolic of the auspicious number of flowers on a garland, each dedicated to one of the many Hindu Gods.

A lush garden and a small open archeological museum frame the temple which also has a cafeteria and Government guest house in its precincts. A large dharmshala or rest house serves to accommodate pilgrims who throng the temple during festivals, especially the Mahotta Parv.
For three days in January every year, The Modhera Sun Temple serves as the backdrop for the Festival of Indian Classical Dances, organized by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, aimed at presenting classical dance forms in the ambience in which they were originally presented. Besides attracting artistes from all over the country, the Festival lures spectators from across the world.
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