Deo Surya Mandir is a

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

Bihar, India Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. The temple is a solar shrine, dedicated to

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

, the sun god, for

Chhath Chhath is an ancient Hindu festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal, Jharkhand, and the Nepalese provinces of Madhesh and Lumbini. Prayers during Chhath ...

Puja. The temple is located in Deo Town, Aurangabad in the Indian State of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

. The Temple is unique as it faces west, the setting sun, not the usual rising sun. It is considered to be one of the most sacred places for sun worshiping and Chhath Puja.

History

According to oral tradition, Lord Vishwakarma built the Deo Sun Temple in one night. An

gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...

era inscription dated 642 AD talks about sun worshiping, but it does not mention the Deo Sun Temple directly. However, some inscriptions and local oral traditions do hint at the presence of temple around the 7th or 8th century AD. Its written history can be traced back to the

pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County *Pala, Järva County, vi ...

and senua periods, with an inscription from 1437 documenting the dedication of the template by King Bhairavendra. The inscription also lists twelve of King Bhairavendra's ancestors and suggests that the temple exists in its present state thanks to local Hindu chieftains who recovered the temple after Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji's invasion of

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. Since most sun temples face towards the rising sun, some scholars believe that this temple could have been a Buddhist temple originally, later being destroyed by Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji, and finally being converted to a sun temple by Bhairavendra.

Architecture and Design

The temple is a mixture of Nagri Architecture,

Dravidian architecture Dravidian architecture, or the South Indian temple style, is an architectural idiom in Hindu temple architecture that emerged from South India, reaching its final form by the sixteenth century. It is seen in Hindu temples, and the most distinc ...

, and

Vesara Vesara is a hybrid form of Indian temple architecture, with South Indian plan and a shape that features North Indian details. This fusion style likely originated in the historic architecture schools of the Dharwad region. It is common in the survi ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. A dome shape is carved above the Dev Sun Temple, with a gold urn placed above the dome.

Cultural Significance

The temple is famous for its annual Chhath festival celebration. Lakhs of devotees from all over Bihar and other regions visit temple to worship, attend Chhath Mela, bathe in the holy Surya Kund and offer

arghya ( sa, तर्पण, bn, তর্পণ, kn, ತರ್ಪಣ, ta, தர்ப்பணம்) is a term in the Vedic practice that refers to an offering made to divine entities. It refers to the act of offering as well as the substance us ...

References

Religious buildings and structures in Patna Hindu temples in Bihar Rebuilt buildings and structures in India Deo, Bihar Surya temples {{india-hindu-temple-stub

History

Architecture and Design

Cultural Significance

See also

References