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Ode to the sun in stone

NANDINI NAIR takes a look at a fine architectural example on the outskirts of Ahmedabad

PEERLESS The Sun Temple at Modhera

The Sun Temple at Modhera stuns with its beauty. Around 100 km from Ahmedabad, it is similar to the sun temples in Martand (Kashmir) and Konark (Orissa). Situated on the banks of the Pushpawati River, it was built during the reign of King Bhimdev (1022-1063 A.D.) of the Solanki dynasty.

While it is easy to simply admire the intricate sandstone sculptures, the temple history comes alive when Girish Ghoswami narrates interesting tales. He is a priest at the neighbouring temple. With the advantage of his ancestry and knowledge from a tourism course, he is a fascinating guide.

Based on a lotus

Like the Konark Temple, which is based on the wheel, this one is based on a lotus. He takes special pride in explaining the science of the architecture. Built on the Tropic of Cancer, the design of the temple is such that the sun's first rays would fall on the sun deity during the equinox. The finely carved portico has 52 pillars, the number of weeks in a year. The temple has twelve parts, the number of months in a year. The magnificent step well has 108 shrines, the number of beads in a rudraksha mala. The temple is built on the interlock system, which means little mortar is used between the stones, strengthening it against earthquakes. The deity and the temple face East. The exterior of the temple is carved with elaborate and explicit erotic scenes, reminiscent of Konark and Khajuraho. Sequences from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and legends come alive on stone.

Interesting sculptures, such as an imposing Parvati with a small Shiva beside her, show the creativity of the artisan. Ganesh is seen standing though usually he is shown in a sitting posture. There is the figure of a rishi standing empty-handed. "We come empty-handed, judge us by that," explains Ghoswami.

Another fascinating part of the temple is the Surya Kund, a 100-square metre rectangular pond. Today it is dry, but one can still marvel at the attention to detail and the excellence in execution.

Decorated with shrines to Ganesh, Sheetala, Natraja, Vishnu and Kali, it is built to facilitate the simultaneous entry of many people. The most beautiful sculpture is probably that of Vishnu reclining on a serpent.

Ghoswami says that most tourists visit between Navratri and Diwali. Next time you go to Gujarat, perhaps you can include this temple on your itinerary.

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