Worship of the Sun God

The origin of Sun worship is several centuries old. The worship of the sun as a source of inexhustible energy was part of all ancient civilisations.'Sol' of German mythology ,Vedic 'Surya' ,Greek 'Helios'or 'Apollo',Mesopotamian 'Samash' the Sun Goddess

Amaterasu' of the Japanese all show the importance of the Sun God in ancient civilisations.In ancient Iran also there is reference to Sun worship and Magha priests were invited to India for religious purposes.The vedic scriptures refers to the Sun as the store house of inexhaustible

energy and radiance and sustainer of all life on earth. Vedic Surya symbolises enlightened mind and creative intelligence -the divine creator and transformer. The 'Gayathri Mantra' in the vedas the 'Surya Satakam' (of poet Mayura) are all written in praise of the Sun God

There are a number of Sun temples in India and the most famous are the Sun Temple ,Konarak,Dakshnineshwar Temple Suryanaar Koyil, Umao Temple,Modhera Sun Temple in Gujarat

Sun Temple -Konarak

The famous Black Pagoda(the temple on wheels) is one of the finest examples of India's architectural grandure and plastic allegiance.It was build by the Ganga King

Narasimha Deva in 1278 AD.The colossal chariot temple is magnificient even in its ruined state.The mythological representation of the Sun driving a chariot dates back to

the second millienium BC .Trundholm Sun chariot of the Nordic diety 'Sol",Greek Helios,Sol Invictus depicted in Roman coins and the vedic Surya are classic examples The architectural style of the temple belongs to the Kalinga school of architecture (north Indian) which is noted for its curvilinear tower mounted by the cupolas.The sculptures are erotic and are presented

in tableaux form as well as free standing The sculptures shows a happy blend of heavenly and worldly depictions The sculptures at the entrance of the temple showing two lions crushing a war elephant(a symbol of Buddhism) thus depicting the triumph of Hinduism over Buddism.

The magnetic dome on the Garbhagriha is missing...what happened to the dome?.It is strangely mixed up with facts, legends and hearsay.Some attribute it to the abandonment

of work due to the arrogance of the king and yet others to engineering defects.Abul Fazal the official historian has seen it before its ruin and no reference was made of its incomplete state and neither the strong walls and basement of the temple speak of engineering

defects.Historical proofs are there of the worship of the diety and festivals and according to hindu tradition it would not house their diety in an unfinished temple. The magnetic dome according to some had caused ships to wreck and so it was taken away by muslim voyagers.

The sun temple is undoubtly the classic example of India's rich architural heritage