Chhath puja in India , World and Sun Temples around world Part 4. Temples in Bihar.

                                           
                                           Deo Sun Temple, Aurangabad, Bihar.

                                          

                                 Ular Sun Temple, Patna. Among 12 Sun Temples of India.

Bihar: Deo Sun Temple – 

This is one of the remarkable and notable temple and religious place in Bihar. 

It is a 100-ft tall structure, with an umbrella-like top. 

The important custom of worshipping the Sun God and taking bath in its Brahma Kund dates back to the era of King Ayel. 

The temple is very old and very well built. 

It is a mix of nagara art of design and other contemporary art of designs.

Deo is located 10-km to the southeast of Aurangabad. 

The main structure is a beautifully carved ornamental, pyramid shaped stone built shikhara .

The frontal section and the courtyard is built in later period. 

Presently there are three idols (Vishnu, Surya and Avalokitesawara) at the sanctum which are not the original presiding deity. 

Outside the main sanctum in the front hall section there are three broken idols kept as it is not the custom to worship a broken deity. 

One of the broken sculptures is of Surya (the Sun God) sculpture with seven horses, and one Uma- Maheshwara idol and the other is of Vishnu. 

There is also one Shivlinga and a Ganesha sculpture. 

An ancient inscription stone is installed at the interior of the temple. 

This temple is considered very auspicious to visit on the festival of Chatth puja / Adra Nakshatra tithi on Sundays. 

The Surya Kund is about a km away where the offerings for the rituals are made.

The two tanks on either side of the road, known as Rudra Kund (left) and Surya Kund (Right) are believed to cure leprosy and other acute ailments.

Ular Sun Temple, Patna. Among 12 Sun Temples of India.

This is the temple where Lord God Krishna’s Son became cured. 

He was suffering from Leprosy. Krishna told him to go and pray Sun in the water of Ganga. 

After a long worshiping he gets cured. Its close to Bihar's state capital Patna. 

A very sacred place .

 

 

Chhath puja in India , World and Sun Temples around world Part 3

The main worshipers, are called Parvaitin (from Sanskrit parv, meaning 'occasion' or 'festival') one who performs Chhath puja, are usually women.

However, a large number of men also observe this festival as Chhath is not a gender-specific festival.

The prasad offerings include sweets, Kheer, Thekua – made of wheat powder and Jagery Gud) baked in Ghee, rice laddu (made of rice grit) and fruits (mainly sugarcane, sweet lime and banana) offered in small bamboo winnows (soop). 

The food is strictly vegetarian and is cooked without salt, onions or garlic. Emphasis is put on maintaining the purity of the food.

According to Hindu religion, the Sun is believed to heal many severe health conditions and ensure longevity, prosperity, progress and well-being.

People celebrate the festival by following a rigorous routine that lasts four days.

The rituals include: fasting (including abstinence from drinking water), holy bathing, offering prayers to the rising and setting sun, and meditating by standing in water.

There are six great stages of the Chhath puja which are: - 

The belief of fast and cleanliness of body on the festival identify detoxification of the body and mind to set them up for accepting the cosmic solar energy.

Standing in water with half of the body submerged diminishes the escape of energy as well as facilitates the prana to elevate to the sushumna. 

Then the entrance of cosmic solar energy takes place in the pineal, pituitary and hypothalamus glands (known as the Triveni complex) by the retina and optic nerves.

 In the fourth stage Triveni complex gets activated. After activation of the Triveni complex, spine gets polarised and the body gets transformed into a cosmic powerhouse and gets the Kundalini Shakti. 

At this stage the devotee is fully able to conduct, recycle and pass on the energy to the entire universe.