Shankeshwar Temple

Shankeshwar Temple

Location : Modhera, Gujarat.
Famous As : Jain Pilgrimage.

Houses:
Image Of Parsvanath. Shankheshwar Temple is a well-known old Jain pilgrimage site where a newer temple dated 1811-1812 AD, now stands. The village where the temple stands was given on a rent - grant by Emperor Shah Jahan to the Nagarsheth of Ahmedabad, named Seth Shantidas. The temple ranks next only to Palitana in importance for the Jains. The image of the main Tirthankara Parshvanath belongs to Samvat 1666 while the inscriptions date back to 1656-1686 AD. The cells are built of brick, which have been moulded and not cut to shape.

Time For Festivity
Fair are held here in Hindu months of Chaitra and Kartik corresponding with the solar months of March/April and October/November respectively on the full moon days and Margashirsha Vad 10.

Sun Temple, Modhera

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Sun Temple, Modhera
Name
Proper name:	Sun Temple, Modhera
Location
Location:	Modhera
Architecture and culture
Primary deity:	Surya
History
Date built:	1026

The Sun Temple, Modhera (Gujarat) was built in 1026 AD by King Bhimdev of the Solanki dynasty and is dedicated to Lord Surya, the Sun God of Hinduism. It is akin to the Konark Sun Temple of Orissa. Two more Sun temples are there; one at Martand in Jammu and Kashmir and the other near Almora in Uttarakhand.

The Modhera sun temple is situated on the bank of the river Pushpavati, 25 km from Mehsana and 102 km from Ahmedabad.

History

According to the Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana, the areas near Modhera were known during ancient days as Dharmaranya (literally meaning the forest of righteousness). According to these Puranas, Lord Rama, after defeating Ravana, asked sage Vasistha to show him a place of pilgrimage where he could go and purify himself from the sin of Brahma-hatya (the sin of killing a Brahmin, because Ravana was a Brahmin by birth). Sage Vasistha showed him Dharmaranya, which was near the modern town of Modhera. In the Dharmaranya, he settled at a village Modherak and performed a yagna there. Thereafter he established a village and named it Sitapur. This village is about 8 km from Becharaji Modherak village and it subsequently came to be known as Modhera.

The Sun Temple was built by Raja Bhimdev I of Solanki Dynasty in AD 1026. This was the time when Somnath and the adjoining area was plundered by Mahmud Ghazni and reeled under the effects of his invasion. The Solankis, however, regained much of their lost power and splendour. Anahilvad Patan, the Solanki capital, was restored to glory. Royalty and traders jointly contributed to build grand temples.

Solankis were considered to be Suryavanshis, or descendants of Sun god. The temple was so designed that the first rays of the sun fell on the image of Surya, the Sun God, at the time equinoxes.

The temple is partially in ruins after it was also finally destroyed by the Allauddin Khilji.

However, enough has remained of the temple to convey its grandeur.