Located at the village of Modhera near Patan, on the banks of the Pushpavati river, this very ancient Hindu temple is dedicated to lord sun which is one of the most popular heritage sites of India. Modhera sun temple was built in 1026 AD by King Bhimdev | of the Solanki dynasty. It is not just a temple of ancient architectural magnificence but also built to implant science of Sun Rays falling over the intricately designed structure at the time of the equinoxes. The architecture of the temple has an influence of Maha-gurjara style which has a Garbhgriha with guda mandapa, a separated sabha mandapa and a scientifically built surya kunda of which another name is Rama kund.
Rectangular in shape, this kund is constructed to perform maha-puja of Sun God. Also the kund has 108 miniature scriptures inbuilt around each staircase symbolising several Hindu gods along with four major shrines namely Ganesha, Shiva, Nataraja, mata shitla, etc.
Besides all these delicacies, there is a Kirti Toran which is an ornamented gateway pillar of entrance for Ranga mandapam or sabha mandapam.
The walls of this temple are said to represent 12 different facets of Sun God around 12 months of the year, scientifically.
Invader Mahmud of ghazni tried to destroy this temple, but couldn't plunder the real and unrest luxurious grandeur or this architecture. It is now a protected monument of ASI also it's enlisted to UNESCO's world heritage site. This temple premises revive the royal and imperial sightseeing everytime.
This jain temple is dedicated to lord parshvanath, situated in Gungdipati region of Patan. It is also one of the most visited places of the jain community around the whole year, built around 746 CE by King Vanraj Chavda. The idol of moolnayak parshvanath was brought from panchasara by King Vanraj himself. The wooden designed jinalaya of the temple was destroyed by Muslim invaders, but later restored and made up of Rock stones during 20th century. The sophisticated stone carvings and white floors built of marbles showcases the major architecture of Jainism style. Also there inside the temple complex you can see ancient jain manuscripts, out of which some are written with ink made of pure gold which are kept inside Hemchandracharya Jain Gyan temple. If you're very fond of scriptures and artistic images, this place is a must-visit site for you.
Sankeshwar temple is an ancient Jain temple which is also one of the most visited pilgrimage sites of Jainism. Dedicated to lord parshvanath, this beautiful and old architectural style temple is located on the banks of the Rupen river which was built in 1098 CE by Sajjan Shah. But in 1229 CE it was renovated and decoratively maintained by Vastupal Tejpal. Since it was attacked and destroyed by the most cruel known invader Alauddin Khilji in 14th and 16th century respectively, later a new temple on the same place was built under the instructions of Vijyensuri in 1811 CE. This temple consists of 52 idols, keeping prominently a great importance to Swetamber Jain's beliefs. The temple complex consists of an open square, vast square and a decorated square and two separate assembly halls. Inside the Garbhagriha, there is a 182 cm high white coloured marble idol of lord sankeshwar Parshvanath is kept seated in padmasana posture. The other two sanctum sanctorum are built inside the same temple campus which are associated with lord Bhidbhanjan Parshvanath and lord Ajitanatha.
Nearby Rani ki vav, this is a prominently protected heritage site of Gujarat which comes under the most visited place located on the banks of the river Saraswati. Sahastralinga talav is a mediaeval water tank reservoir which is greatly known for its name. Sahastralingam, majorly suggests- sahastra meaning thousands of lingam meaning Shivalinga, i.e, a lake of thousands of lingams. In 1084 this lake was built by the king of Durlabh Ray, Siddhraj Jaisingh who named this lake as Durlabh sarovar.
The lake is pentagonal in shape which could have estimated capacity to hold around 42 lakhs cubic metres of water. The talav was built in such a great way that its relics channel water from the river Saraswati to the reservoir. Also it's said that the lake has a natural inbuilt filtration system. The story tells about its dry curse which say, there was a woman named Jasma Oden who refused to marry Siddhraj Jaisingh on his behalf she committed suicide by performing sati that too to protect her honour of getting blames from people of state at that time. Since then, the lake has had no water at all because it is cursed by Jasmas. Still, the site preaches its own beauty in a splendid serenity.
Loteshwar Mahadev temple:-
Loteshwar village is an archeological and historical site dating back to the Indus valley civilization which is located on the left of the khari river which is a tributary of Rupen river. Like a fort, this temple is made up of white Rock stones making it an intricate beauty around the nation. The carvings on its blocks of rock and the architectural style of this building gives goosebumps. Moreover, it was not well conserved but being one of the most untouched temples of India it is still a sight capturing monument cum temple. You must visit this place if you're an art lover or if you like the historical perspectives behind every ancient structure.
