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Introduction:
It is said that architecture is the biggest unwritten document of history. After 1000 years, the royal palaces of the great kings have not survived but the magnificent temples built by them despite some of them being attacked, damaged and plundered by invaders still stand tall and remind us of the wonderful legacy and heritage left behind by them. These beautifully chiseled sculptures in stone have many an interesting tales to narrate and speak volumes about the great heights achieved by our unknown, unsung artisans and master craftsmen. Many of these temples are architectural & engineering marvels and continue to intrigue us with the indigenous techniques that must have been used in building them when science had not advanced so much and modern equipments & tools were not available. These wonders of India need to be appreciated, celebrated, visited and preserved at all cost.
Why do I write travelogues?
My attempt has been to visit these treasures of India and bring it the notice of not only the discerning travellers but also make the present & coming generation aware of our own heritage so that they develop some interest in them and these destinations also begin to find a place on their travel itinerary. May I request the younger generation to consider this as an appeal from me – if you make 4 travels for pleasure in a year may be 3 could be to a foreign or domestic locale of your liking – to a beach resort or to a scenic destination but keep at least one travel for a visit to a place of architectural importance in India. To begin with you can make choices from some 30 odd UNESCO World Heritage Sites of India. These monuments and places are better preserved and to a great extent represent the best Indian architectural treasures. If your partner is unwilling to join you then either join like minded friends or a travel group or better still be a solo traveller or wanderer. Believe me as a solo traveller you feel like an explorer and you have the freedom to visit and see the places at your own pace & liking !! I have done at least 5 solo trips in the last 3 years and I have enjoyed them the most !!
Our Gujarat trip
It was in January 2008, we had gone to attend a family wedding at Surat and then we attended a religious function at Nadiad and proceeded to wonderful three days at Ahmedabad to be with my cousin uncle Mahesh Kabra and family who is more like a friend to me as he is just three years older than me. On one of the days after breakfast, with my uncle behind the steering wheel, I along with my wife & aunt were on the highway on way to two ancient architectural gems of our country at Modhera and Patan, at a distance of 102 kms and 130 kms respectively from Ahmedabad. The Gujarat roads are excellent and we were in Modhera by 10.30 am.
The colourful tapestry of India’s rich heritage and culture have an array of magnificent temples & monuments embedded in its threads. There are many such beautiful monuments in the state of Gujarat too including the Sun temple at Modhera and Rani ki Vav (Queen’s Step-well) at Patan. This week I write about the Sun temple and next week it would be Rani Ki VaV which is UNESCO World Heritage Site. No one knows the name of the architect who built the Sun temple but the art historian Percy Brown was so impressed with the magnificence of the temple that he called the architect as a ‘weaver of dreams’ !!!
Modhera Sun Temple – historical background
As we came face to face with the temple and the large kund in front of it, my jaws dropped in amazement ! What a sight to behold!!
It is believed that Modhera Temple located near the Pushpavati river was constructed during the reign of Solanki King Bhima I – the Solankis were a branch of the Chalukya dynasty. Solankis considered themselves to be Suryavanshis and Sun was their main deity. During the period 1000 to 1027 AD Mahmud Ghazni attacked & plundered several Indian cities such as Multan, Gwalior, Kannauj and Mathura 17 times. His last invasion was in 1027 to the rich temple of Somnath in Gujarat which was plundered by him. His army’s advance to other parts of Gujarat including Modhera was resisted by the local kings. While there is no concrete evidence regarding the date when Modhera temple was built, some historians are of the opinion that the construction of Modhera Sun temple was started in the year 1027 to commemorate the success of the Solanki King in stopping Ghazni’s army from advancing towards Modhera. While the kund and temple were built first, the Sabhamandap was added almost a century later. This was the age when temple construction was its peak in different parts of India. The Khajuraho group of temples of the Chandelas and Tanjore temple of the Cholas had just been built. The architectural style of Modhera temple resembles that of the Dilwara temple at Mount Abu.
Modhera’s mythological connection
In Pauranic times, the region around Modhera was known as Dharmaranya and finds references in the Skanda Purana & Brahma Purana. As per legends it is said that this place has been blessed by Lord Ram as after defeating Ravan as per advice from Sage Vasisht, Ram & Sita made a halt here. Ram conducted a yagna here to absolve himself from the sin of killing Ravan, a Brahmin. He also took a dip in the Kund which is the same kund which is in-front of the temple and is now known as Ram Kund. It is believed that the yagna was conducted by Brahmins belonging to Modh community and hence the place got its name Modhera. Another belief is that Modhera means mound of the dead as this place saw several civilizations come & perish over the centuries.
Unique features of the temple
The Vedic scriptures of the Hindu religion refer to the sun as the store house of inexhaustible power and radiance. The sun god is referred to as Surya or Aditya. The Vedas are full of hymns describing the celestial body as the source and sustainer of all life on earth. The origin of the worship of the Sun in India is thus several centuries old. The importance of Sun God declined after the popularity of other Hindu Gods such as Shiva & Vishnu gained prominence.
In the Vedic era, the temples were not there. Hence there are not many temples in India enshrining the Sun God as the principal deity. There are about a dozen sun temples in India of which three well known are (1) Martand Sun temple in Kashmir in the North built in the 8th century which is now in ruins (2) Modhera Sun temple built in the 11th century in the West (3) Konark Sun temple built in the 13th century in the East. Many of these shrines have been designed in such a way that the sun’s rays illuminate the sanctum on certain days of the year. It is said that on the day of the Solar equinox in March & September, the first sun rays of the rising sun used to fall directly on the face of the Sun deity at the Modhera temple. No one knows where the deity is today.
Modhera Sun temple built near the Tropic of Cancer is said to have been built as per the specifications of Vastu Shastra as it is based on the position of stars and planets. It has a unique architecture & design which makes it earthquake resistant. Mortar has not been used in the construction- all the stone slabs have been interlocked by making grooves and sealing them with seasoned wood. Number of columns contribute to the structural strength of the temple.
The temple is divided into three segments.
Surya Kund or Ram Kund:
The first one in the front is the water reservoir or Kund known as Surya Kund or Ram Kund. Rectangular in shape it has steps running on all the four sides that lead to the bottom. It is believed that in ancient times the water in the Kund used to get replenished by an underground natural spring. But now it is dependent on rain water. During monsoon sometimes the Kund overflows. The main entry into the Kund is from the west. The Kund measures 120 feet from west to east and 176 feet from north to south. It covers an area of 21000 sq feet. As you go down the steps there are small shrines all around the Kund. It is said that in earlier times there used to be 108 shrines but not many have survived. The surviving shrines belong to various gods & goddesses including Vishnu in reclining pose, Shivling and one shrine dedicated to Shitala mata too !!
Sabhamandap or Rangmandap:
Sabhamandap or Rangmandap was the assembly hall or hall for music & dance. It is in the shape of a parallelogram that makes it look like a star from the top. It has 52 pillars with exquisite carvings on them – they represent the 52 weeks of the year. It has entrances or exits on all four sides. The main entrance is from the east facing the Kund. There was a Kirti Toran (victory arch) in front of the Sabhamandap. Only two intricately carved pillars survive. The pillars of Sabhamandap and Gudhamandap are of two types; short and tall. The short pillars rest on the walls and support the roof. The tall pillars rise from the floor. The historians speculate that the Kund & the main temple were built first and the Sabhamandap was probably added after a century.
Gudhamandap or the Shrine Hall:
Gudhamandap has intricately carved exteriors and pillars inside. It is built in the Maru-Gurjura style of architecture (Chalukyan style). Gudhamandap is separate from the Sabhamandap as there is some open space between them. The shape of the temple plinth is in the form of an inverted lotus. The Gudhamandap measures 51 feet 9 inches by 25 feet 8 inches. It is almost equally divided into Gudhamandap, the hall and Garbhgriha, the shrine proper. Both are rectangular in plan with one projection on each of the smaller sides and two projections on each of the longer sides. The Garbhagriha, the shrine proper or sanctum sanctorum is square measuring 11 feet from inside. The walls inside the shrine are plain and the outer wall is decorated. The figures of Surya are prominently carved on three niches of shrine proper as well as on each side of three windows in the outer wall of Gudhamandap. The figures of Surya is in standing position with two arms holding lotuses and driven by seven horses.It has some Persian influences as it is shown wearing boots & cap. The walls have 12 niches showing the different aspects of Surya in each month. The doorway has carved figures of seated Surya in panels surrounded by dancers and amorous couples. All figures are mutilated and the images on the door-lintel are completely destroyed probably during the invasion by Allaudin Khilji towards the beginning of the 14th Century.
Besides Surya, there are a number of other deities who have been depicted on the walls of the temple. There are sculptures of 8 deities as follows who are representing the 8 directions:
North – Kuber, the lord of wealth
North-East – Rudra, a form of Shiva
East – Indra, the lord of rains
South-East – Agni, the lord of fire
South – Yama, the god of death
South-West – Nairiti, a form of Shiva
West – Varun, the lord of water
North-West – Vayu, the lord of air
12 idols of Parvati can be seen in her various forms called Dwadash Gauri. There are sculptures dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma & Nag too.
Museum
There is an archaeological museum near the temple which has several sculptures found in and around Modhera on display.
The Modhera Sun temple is a Monument of National Importance and is maintained by the Archeological Survey of India.
The Tourism Corporation of Gujarat organises an annual three-day dance festival known as ‘Uttarardha Mahotsav‘ at the temple during the third week of January, following the festival of Uttarayan or Sankranti. The objective is to present classical dance forms in an atmosphere similar to that in which they were originally presented.
Letitia Elizabeth Landon‘s poetical illustration Hindoo and Mahommedan Buildings written in early 19th century refers to this temple as ‘Moondheyra in Guzerat’ and talks about the splendid sculptures.
In 1887, Alexander Kinloch Forbes described in his book Rasmala that the place was known by locals as ‘Sita ni Chauri’ and Ramkund was associated with Rama and Sita of Ramayana.
For further reading: ‘The Sun Temple at Modhera: A Monograph on Architecture and Iconography’written by Wibke Lobo and published in 1982
We spent about 2 hours at this wonderful relic from the past and then after a brief picnic, we were on our way to another architectural marvel – Rani ki vav at Patan and it was about 45 mins drive from Modhera.
Modhera is a village located 25 kms from the district town of Mehsana. As there is no option to stay at Modhera it is better to do a day trip to Modhera & Patan from Ahmedabad. There are some stay options available at Mehsana and Patan. The best time to visit these places are the cooler months of winter or during monsoon. There is train connection up to Mehsana. The nearest airport is at Ahmedabad.
In case you have found this travelogue interesting and informative then please leave your comment below the post. I shall appreciate if you could share the link with your friends.
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