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THE SPELLBINDING SUN TEMPLE
King Bhimadeva I, who ruled the Saurashtra region in the 11th century AD,
is said to have built the beautifully carved Sun Temple at Modhera, north
of Kathiawar, between 1026 AD and 1027 AD. Built in front of a rectangular
tank (which has small shrines at three of its sides), Modhera is a
precursor of the Sun temple at
Konark .
The similarity between the two is evident in that the idols were
installed to be naturally lit by the sun. In the case of Modhera, the icon
was placed so that it was bathed in light at the time of the equinoxes.
The large, stepped, stone kund with recesses for small images of
subsidiary deities, leads up a staircase to a torana, with fine,
broad-based pillars sans their joining arch. The now spireless shrine,
built on a raised platform, is entered through a great, octagonal,
pillared pavilion carved in the lavish fashion favoured by the Solankis.
At a distance, the pillars give the appearance of solid mass.
The
whole structure is outclassed by the incredible rectangular step tank or
'Surya Kund', a majestic 100 sq metre rectangular pond, with interesting
shrines, said to total 108 in all, the auspicious number of flowers on a
garland. Larger shrines to Vishnu, Ganesh and the Natraj incarnation of
Shiv in Tandav stand on 3 sides of the Surya Kund, with the 'Sabha Mandap'
of the principal temple soaring on the fourth side, to remind you that
this is the domain of the Sun God.
Close up, they produce exactly the opposite effect, so finely carved and
full of detail are they. As in other Surya temples, the carvings are
predominantly of female attendants. Rows of frames carved out on each
pillar hold graceful dancing figures as well as the plump gana-s or
yaksha-s that seem to hover around the gods.
A separate structure from this pavilion is the closed mandapa beyond it
leading to the Pradakshina path and Garbha Griha. The temple may once have
had more than one level but in its state of ruin it is difficult to tell.
Recurring images of the sun god appear at important positions throughout
the structure, especially on the 'dedicatory block above the mandapa
doorway'.
In Modhera too, as in Kashmir, the representation of the Sun God seems to
indicate a foreign model for the figure is clothed for cold weather in
boots and cloak, unfamiliar to Gujarat. However, the main idol, and his
sunken garba griha, are lost to us forever. It is fortunate that his
chariot pulled by seven horses was drawn from the rubble around the temple
before it could be further ruined.
Although
the temple's shikhar is missing, the spires of the small 'kund' temples
are an indication of what it might have looked like. Even though probably
more curvilinear than those of Konark or Khajuraho, Modhera's spire
followed the basic Nagara pattern of vertical lines meeting at a point
directly above the garba griha.
In front of the temple is a colossal tank, which was once known as Surya
Kund or Rama Kund .The tank has a series of carved steps
leading to the bottom. Several miniature shrines adorn the steps of the
tank - which is an art gallery in itself.
Modhera is now the site of several dance and cultural festivals. The sun
temple and the ambience here provide a majestic backdrop for the
exhibition of performing arts.
HOW TO GET THERE
Air: Nearest airport is
Ahmedabad .
Rail: Nearest railway station is Mehsana.
Road: State transport buses and private luxury coaches connects
various centers of Gujarat. It is situated 119 kms. from Ahmedabad via
Mehsana.
For travel
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