The Sun Temple at Modhera was built in 1026 using advanced knowledge that was rare at the time. It sits on the Tropic of Cancer and is designed so that at the start of spring and autumn, the first rays of the rising Sun pass through the entrance mandapa and fall on the statue of Surya Bhagwan. That statue is said to have been of pure gold, studded with diamonds and precious stones.
The temple has 52 carved stone columns, one for each week of the year, and a large geometric stepwell, the Surya Kund, with 108 small shrines to different gods. It was demolished by Mahmud of Ghazni, reassembled by the government, and is today a protected monument.
