At Modhera in the Mehsana district of Gujarat stands one of the finest sun temples in India, built around 1026 CE by King Bhima I of the Solanki (Chaulukya) dynasty, who revered themselves as descendants of Surya, the Sun-god. A masterpiece of the Maru-Gurjara style, the temple is a marvel of astronomical precision: it is aligned so that, at the equinoxes, the first rays of the rising sun pass through its halls to fall upon the sanctum where the image of Surya once stood.
Before the shrine lies the magnificent Surya Kund, a great stepped tank ringed by 108 miniature shrines, and its assembly hall bears twelve carved Adityas, the sun in each month of the year. No longer a place of active worship and now a protected monument, Modhera stands as a breathtaking hymn in stone to the Sun, and hosts a celebrated annual dance festival.
The stepped tank at Modhera is architecture turned upside down. Instead of rising, it descends in tiers of stone, lined with small shrines all the way to the water.
Source: Archaeological Survey of India; Surya Kund, Modhera
