I went to the village of Modhera. Home of the Sun Temple and Rani Ki Vav yesterday. Potential wonders of the world! I made a visit with some family friends from the UK. The village of Modhera is 30km south of Patan, near Ahmedabad.
The Sun Temple dates back to the early 11th century and was built on the ancient system of vastu shastra. I think whats most striking about the temple is the detail of the scenes which it depicts. Scenes from the Ramayan and Mahabharat are shown. Unfortunately some of the architecture has suffered damaged in the past, however it has not lost its ability to impress.
From there we moved on to Rani Ki Vav. Rani Ki Vav was a stepwell constructed at a similar time to the Sun Temple. Its huge! The ornamental work is in very good condition. It has suffered some damage from floods from the River Saraswati and neglect, but this was only rediscovered in the 1960’s. At this time the well was filled almost to the top, apart from the top. It is now considered to be the queen among the step wells of India.
The other picture shows the Sun Temple in Modhera.
The panoramic shot below is of the stepwell.
Both definitely have to be seen if you find yourself in Gujarat.
