The Sun Temple at Modhera was built in 1026-27 AD under the Solanki dynasty. It is dedicated to the sun god Surya and was designed so that sunlight would illuminate the deity's image at the equinoxes. The temple complex includes a large sacred pool and the main temple, divided into a pillared hall and inner sanctuary. Though now in ruins, the temple was renowned for its intricate carvings covering every surface both inside and out.

1. TEMPLE OF SUN
MODHERA

2. INTRODUCTION
• THE SUN TEMPLE,MODHERA IS THE MOST
SPLENDED EXAMPLE OF SOLANKI STYLE ARCHITECTURE.
• IT IS ONE OF THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF INDIAN TEMPLE
ARCHITECTURE OF THIS PERIOD.
• ACCORDING TO AN INSCRIPTION,FOUND WITHIN ITS BROKEN
WALLS,ITS EXACT DATE HAS BEEN REVELED AS 1026-27.
• IT WAS BUILT UNDER THE RULE OF BHIMA I OF THE SOLANKI
DYNASTY.
• IT IS ON A SITE 18 MILES SOUTH-EAST OF MODERN PATNA.
• IN SPITE OF ITS RUINED CONDITION LITTILE IMAGINATION IS
REQUIRED TO PICTURE THIS BUILDING.
• IT WAS DESTROYED BY THE MEHMOOD OF GHAZNI.

3. • IT IS DEDICATED TO THE SUN-GOD SURYA.
• THIS TEMPLE WAS SO DESIGNED THAT THE RAYS OF THE
SUN WOULD FALL ON THE IMAGE OF SURYA AT THE TIME OF
THE EQUINOXIES.
• THE MODHERA STILLRETAINS ENOUGH OF ITS STRUCTURE
TO CONVEY THE GRANDEUR OF ITS CONCEPTION.
• EVERY INCH OF THE EDIFICE,BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE IS
MAGNIFICENTLY CARVED WITH GODS AND
GODDESSES,BIRDS AND BEASTS AND FLOWERS.
• THE INNER SANCTUM,WHICH HOUSED THE PRESIDING
DIETY,FACES EAST.

4. THE STRUCTURE
• THE TEMPLE IS CONFRONTED WITH LARGE SACRED POOL OR
THE SURYA KUNDA.
• THE TEMPLE IS DIVIDED INTO TWO MAIN SECTIONS - THE
PILLARED HALL OR SABHA MANDAPA AND THE MAIN TEMPLE
OR GUDHA MANDAPA.

5. THE SURYA KUNDA
•ALSO KNOWN AS RAMA
KUNDA.
•A MASSIVE RECTANGULAR
STEPPED TANK, FOR
ABLUTIONS.
•COMPRISING A SHEET OF
WATER CONTAINED WITHIN A
RECTANGULAR ARRANGMENT
OF PLATFORMS AND
TERRACES INTERSPACED WITH
SHRINES OF VARIOUS SIZES
AND SHAPES.
•ON ITS WESTERN SIDE A WIDE
FLIGHT OF STEPS LEADS TO
TORANA.

6. THE MAIN TEMPLE
•THIS BUILDING WAS ELEVATAD ON A BROAD TERRACE
CONSTRUCTED OF SOLID BRICK FACED STONE WHICH FORMED
AN IMPOSING COURTYARD AROUND IT.
•THE TEMPLE IS RESOLVED INTO TWO SEPARATE STRUCTURES
CONNECTED BY A NARROW PASSAGE.
•CONSISTING OF ON ONE HAND OF AN OPEN PILLARED HALL OR
“SABHA MANDAPA” AND ON THE OTHER HAND AN ENCLOSED
RECTANGULAR BUILDING CONTAINING THE COMPARTMENTS,THE
ASSEMBLY HALL OR “GUDHA MANDAPA” AND THE SHRINE OR
“GARBHA GRIHA”,THE AXIAL LENGTH OF THE WHOLE BEING 145
feet.

7. • ALTHOUGH THE TWO STRUCTURES COMPRISING THE
TEMPLE DIFFER FROM EACH OTHER IN CHARACTER ,AS THE
ONE IS IN THE FORM OF AN OPEN HYPOSTYLE HALL AND THE
OTHER IS ENCLOSED WITHIN WALLS, BY THE SKILLFUL
ADJUSTMENT OF THEIR MOULDINGS, STRING-COURSES AND
HORIZONTAL ELEMENTS GENERALLY, THE COMPOSITION IS
SO WELL HARMONISED AS TO PRODUCE THE NECESSARY
EFFECT OF WHOLNESS.

8. •ON THE PLAN SABHA MANDAPA IS BASED ON A SQUARE OF
NEARLY 50 feet WIDE, PLACED DIAGONALLY WITH THE AXIAL LINE,
ITS SIDES BEING INTERRUPTED AT REGULAR INTERVALS BY
RECESSED CHASES.
•THE RECTANGULAR PART OF THE TEMPLE IS 80 feet BY 50 feet.
•IN ITS DESIGN RECESSED RECESSED ANGLES ARE ALSO A
DISTINCTIVE FEATURE OF THE EXTERIOR.

9. • THE SOLE ENTRANCE IS THROUGH A PILLARED PORTICO ON
THE EAST, WHERE IT CONNECTS WITH THE WESTERN OR REAR
DOORWAY OF THE “SABHA MANDAPA”.
• AT THE INTERVALS IN THE SIDES ARE WINDOW OPENINGS, FIVE
IN NUMBER EACH A WELL PROPORTIONED APERTURE AND WITH
ITS SIDE PILLARS RELIEVING THE WALL IN AN INTERESTING
MANNER.
• THE ELEVATION IS COMPOSED OF THE THREE MAIN DIVISIONS
ALREADY REFERRED TO WITH THE BASEMENT OR “PITHA”
CONSISTING OF THE CONVENTIONAL RANGE OF CARVED
MOULDINGS, ABOVE WHICH IS THE SPACIOUS “MANDOVARA”, OR
PANELLED WALL-FACE, RICHLY EMBELLISHED WITH FIGURE
SCULPTURE, EACH IMAGE ENSHRINED IN A NICHE.
• THE SUPER STRUCTURE OF THIS BUILDING HAS COMPLETELY
DISAPPEARED, BUT IT COMPRISED OF THE TRADITIONAL
ARRANGMENT OF A LOW PYRAMIDAL ROOF OVER THE FRONT
PORTION, AND A TALL TURRETED SIKHARA OVER THE SHRINE.

11. • THE INTERIOR OF THIS ENCLOSED PORTION IS DIVIDED
EQUALLY INTO TWO COMPARTMENTS, EACH CONSISTING OF
A SQUARE OF 25 feet SIDE.
• THE FRONT OR THE EASTERN BEING THE “GUDHA
MANDAPA”, OR ASSEMBLY HALL, CONTAINING 8 COLUMNS
AROUND A CENTRAL OCTAGONAL NAVE, ABOVE WHICH IS
HIGHLY ORNAMENTAL CEILING.
• LEADING OUT OF THIS COMPARTMENT, THROUGH A
SHALLOW FOUR PILLARED VESTIBULE, IS A SHRINE
CHAMBER-A SQUARE CELL WITH A PROCESSIONAL PASSAGE
AROUND IT.
• THE AESTHETIC SENSE OF MODHERA TEMPLE RESPONS TO
THE ELEGANCE OF ITS TREATMENT AND ITS PROPOTIONAL
AS A WHOLE.
• CARVED DECORATION IS HERE SPARSELY
DISTRIBUTED, MOST OF IT BEING CONCENTRATED ON THE
ENTRANCE TO THE CELLA.

12. SABHA MANDAPA
• PLANNED IN USUAL GUJARATI
STYLE AROUND AN
OCTAGONAL PILLARED
SPACES.
• SLOPING SEATS AND DWARF
COLUMNS ARE SET IN
RECTANGULAR OFFSETS
AROUND ITS PERIPHERI.
• THE SHAFTS OF EACH OF ITS
COLUMNS ARE EXQUISITELY
EMBROIDED WITH SCROLLS
OF
ORNAMENTATION, INTERSPAC
ED WITH SCULPTURES OF
GODS AND GODESSES.

13. • THE PILLARS ARE ON THE PERIPHERI OF THE CENTRAL
OCTAGONAL SPACES ARE LOCKED TOGETHER BY
DELICATELY CARVED INTERLINKED SINUOUS BRACKETS
APTLY REFERRED TO AS “FLYING TORANAS”.
• ON PLAN “SABHA MANADAPA” IS PLACED ON A SQUARE OF 50
feet WIDE PLACED DIAGONALLY WITH AXIAL LINE ITS SIDES
BEING INTERUPTED AT REGULAR INTERVALS BY RECESSED
CHASES.
• THERE ARE PILLARED
ENTRANCES WITH
CUSPED ARCHWAYS AT
EACH OF THE FOUR
CORNERS AND A
SMALLER PIILLAR WITHIN
EACH RECESSED ANGLE.

14. • THE INTERIOR OF HALL IS COMPOSED OF TWO ASILES OF
PILLARS ARRANGED ALONG THE DIAGONALS OF ITS SQUARE
PLANS, THUS PRODUCING A CRUCIFORM EFFECT.
• BY OMITTING THE CENTRAL
PILLARS AT THE JUNCTION OF
THESE CROSS AISLES, THE
OCTAGONAL SPACE OF THE
NAVE OPENS OUT IN THE
MIDDILE OF THE HALL AND
ABOVE THIS RISES THE DOMED
CEILING, ELEVATED HIGHER
THAN THE ASILES BY THE
MEANS OF AN ATTIC STOREY.
• AS TO DIMENSIONS THE
PILLARS ARE 13 feet HIGH,
RIM OF THE DOME IS 17 feet
WITH ITS CENTRE 23 feet
FROM THE FLOOR LEVEL.

15. SUBMITTED BY:
TAAPSI NAYYAR
SURBHI MODI
SAHIL KUMAR ARORA