Ahmedabad - 96 KM
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Modhera is famous for its Sun temple. It has turned into a very important tourist center as well as research of Indian art, architecture, history and culture
Gujarat enjoyed its Golden Age under the Solanki dynasty's rule. Apart from other branches of learning that reached high points of development in those days, the fine arts of sculpture and architecture also attained new great heights during this period. The Sun temple at Modhera, Ranki Vav at Patan, Rudramahal at Siddhpur, Sahasralings Lake and Dilwara temples at Abu and other remarkable temples, forts and Vavs and Lakes that were all built during this era. Modhera also has an ancient temple of Modhesvari Mata.
The Sun Temple of Modhera is one of the rare temples in India dedicated to the Sun God. It has same Latitude in the Tropic of Cancer as the Konarak Sun temple in eastern India and has special relationship with it. Also it has some relationship with the other few sun temples in the rest of India as they share some very similar features. However, the Modhera Sun temple has its own unique features too. It is considered one of the best examples of architectural beauty that the Indian artisans have achieved in the past
Modhera Sun temple was constructed during the rule of Bhimdev,-I in about 1026-1027-AD Let us first look at its artistic and architectural features briefly. Built on a high platform its major divisions are Garbhagriha, Antaral and Sabha Mandapa. To enter the temple, one has to climb a large number of steps first. Between the walls of the Garbhagriha and other parts of the temple is the Pradakshina path or way for circambulation. However the original Shikhara of the temple no longer exists. 'The ceiling rests on 8 pillars with eights sides to them and are full of carvings. The old dome with beautiful carvings is now lost. The outer walls of the temple are full of closely carved wonderful carvings, The entrance has a 'kund' and its construction also is remarkable from architectural viewpoint.
Although the temple no longer has the original image of the Sun God within it, there are several places where the image has been carved here. The most distinguishing feature of the Sun God is that He wears shoes that come up to knees, and this is present in such carved images. The Garbhagriha has also collapsed except for the walls. Yet the seat of the main deity is still seen, and the seven horses that draw the chariot of the Sun can be seen here
The most beautiful and highly carved section of the temple is its Sabha Mandap. Facing the Garbhagriha the piI1ars of this Mandapa and the arches between two pil1ars, called 'torana' add to the beautiful ambience. The entrance is in the East and the steps leading to the Kund are also steep and large in number. The Surya Kund has no lime in its construction and this makes its unique. The construction of the temple is made such that during the seasons of 'Sharad' and 'Vasant' the sunrays would pass through the Mandapa and directly fall into the Garbahgriha. These are the days of 'Sharatpaat' and 'Vasantpaat'. This Sun temple has placed Gujarat at par with many other architectural wonders of India
SHANKHESVAR PARSHVANATH
Another important Jain center in Mehsana District is the temple of Shankhesvar Parshvanath at the southwest border of Gujarat. In this very"ancient temple the importance and dignity of the Parashvanthji is very highly respected among the followers. Going towards Kadi town also we come across many beautiful ancient Jain temples at Bhoyni and other places.
The Chief Minister Sajjan Shah had this temple built in V.S. 1155. then a number of Acharyas came here for their 'Vihara'. They were called 'Shankhesvar gachhiya' or followers of Shankhesvar group. Acharya Sarvdevsuriji also came here often to spend the four months of rainy season. Upon observing the magical element of this place, he had encouraged the lay followers to build an Upashraya or a place to accommodate the Jain ascetics for rainy seasons
In the area called Vadhiar, near Radhanpur, there is a village called Shankhesvar and it has in its center the ruins of a huge old temple that faces the ancient temple in the western direction. Towards the western gate of the village is the place of pilgrimage, Shri Shankhesvar Parsvanath. In the Jain religious literature it is said that in the old days, one lay follower of Jainism-had installed the Jin Images at Charop, Sambhpur and Shankhesvar. In modern times in V.S. 1760 Shri Vijayratnasuriji Maharaj Saheb installed the images ceremoniously. We still find some remnants of the temple built bySajjan Shah in V.S. 1155 here. In 14 century Allauddin Khilji destroyed the temple and buried the image. The temple was rebuilt around 1ihcentury .. We still find many remains of the older construction half a mile away near Chandur.
The new Parsvanath temple has a compound around it. It is not a tall construction and yet is very attractive. It has original Garbhagriha (or gabhara), Goodha Mandap, gabharas with shikhar on both side of the garbhagriha, and 52 small lin temples on the surrounding wall, Shringar Chowkis and a vast ground. The first thing we come across is the original garbhagriha, then the Goodh Mandap, then 3 Chowkis, then the old Sabha Mandap, then 6 Chowkis, then the main gate and there are 4 Chowkis in the Shringar Chowkis. On both sides of gabhara one additional gabhara each is found. In the area of ambulation or 'bhamati', in the middle of 3 lines, with one big gabhara each we find 55 big 'deris', while in between the corner of Deri 51-52 we have one 'Paduka deri' and another deri of Padmavati, thus total 57 deris are found here. Three Shikhars are erected on the main gabhara and the. two on its sides. The central one is the tallest, and the shikharas on the gabharas of 'bhamati' are also tall but their height is slightly less than the shikhara of the original gabhara. Instead of the domes the ceiling of the Goodh Mandapa and old Sabha Mandapa have low-sized shikharas of different antiquity. The new Sabha Mandap and the Shringar Chowkis have the dome like ceilings or shikharas. The line behind the small temples or 'deris' in 'bhamati' the gabhara has two sections. Each Gabhara and deri has a dome near the shikhara. Both the gabharas alongside the Goodh Mandapa also have one dome beside the Shikhara.
DASADA RESORT
The historic village of Dasada is conveniently situated on the travel circuits of Kutch, Gujarat and Saurashtra. In 1451, Dasada lagir, comprising about 24 villagees with Dasada as the capital, was handedover to Baktiar-uddin in return for military services rendered to the Sultan of Gujarat. He was titled Malik Bakhan and since then his descendants ruied Dasada till the jagirs were merged with India in 1954. The lineage includes poets, scholars and warriors who participated in battles and the sieges of major forts. The owners of Rann Riders are descendants of Malik Bakhan.
Rann Riders comprises cottages imaginatively designd using local materials and erected by local artisans of Kutch and Saurashtra to resemble an authentic village of Kutch. Each of the cottages is self-contained with an A/C bedroom and an attached bath featuring western fixtures. The liighlight of the resort is its huge grounds with wellmaintained lawns and gardens, bird-rich water bodies and agricultural fields.
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