Deo Surya Mandir- Bihar

Address

Deo Surya Mandir- Deo, Bihar 824202

Diety

Surya

Introduction

Deo Surya Mandir is a Sun Temple, dedicated to Lord Surya for Chhath Puja. The temple is located in Deo Town, Aurangabad in the Indian State of Bihar. The Temple is unique as it faces west, the setting sun, not the usual rising sun. The most sacred place for Chhath on earth is Dev. Here Sun God fulfills the vow to all the devotees. The temple is a mixture of Nagri Architecture, Dravidian architecture & Vesara architecture. Dome shape is carved above the Dev Sun Temple. Above the dome is a gold urn which can be seen shining from far away, which makes the temple very grand.

Puranic Significance

Sun Temple of deo 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. It is a mix of nagara art of design and other contemporary art of designs. . The main structure is a beautifully carved ornamental, pyramid shaped stone built shikhara. The frontal section and the courtyard are 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 It is said that once Lord Vishwakarma was told to build temples in one night. And this very temple was built that night. But historically the Temple of deo, is believed to have been built by Bhairvendra Singh, a Chandravanshi king of Umga.