ancientart:The Sun Temple at Modhera in Gujarat, India, erected by king Bhim Dev I. The Solankis, wh
ancientart:The Sun Temple at Modhera in Gujarat, India, erected by king Bhim Dev I. The Solankis, who ruled Gujarat and Rajasthan, were avid temple builders. Despite principally worshiping Shiva, they claimed lineage from Pandu, thus through this connection, legitimized their tradition of solar cults. This temple is dedicated to Surya (the sun).The Sun Temple at Modhera, marks the grandest achievement of Solanki style of temple architecture. This temple standing on a raised terrace, contains the main temple complex, and assemble hall with a torana in front and a large flagged tank, decorated with numerous shrines. A grand flight of steps descends to the tank [visible in the third photo].This temple is a remarkable example of fine proportion, aesthetic appeal, spiritual grace and integration of plastic embellishment with the architectural design. The sanctum-sanctorum is so designed, that during solar equinoxes, the first rays of the rising sun lit up the image of the sun-God.Although the temple was ransacked by Mahmud Ghazni, it still has enough to convey the grandeur of its conception and the artistry of its execution.-B. Kumar, Pilgrimage Centres of IndiaPhotos courtesy & taken by Andrea Kirkby. -- source link