Zinavari Sun Temple – Gujarat

Address

Sun Temple – Jinavari Zinavari village, Jamjodhpur Taluka Jamnagar district Gujarat 360515

Diety

Gopeshwar

Introduction

It is located on the bank of Vartu river and south-west of the Gop hill of Barda Hills. The Zinavari village is also known as Juna or Nana Gop and is located east of Gop village. It is located north of Ghumli, on a hill top. The Gop temple is a Sun temple located at Zinavari village in Jamjodhpur Taluka of Jamnagar district, Gujarat, India. The Hindu temple is dated to the 6th century and is one of the earliest surviving stone temples in Gujarat. The original temple had a square plan, a mandapa and covered circumambulation passage which are lost, and a pyramidal masonry roof which is ruined but whose partial remains have survived. The temple has a height of 23 feet which includes a small tower. The roof of the tower is decorated with arch-like gavaksha window shapes below an amalaka cogged wheel-shaped crown

Puranic Significance

The ancient temple of Gop is considered the earliest surviving stone temple of Saurashtra, Gujarat. Burgess in 1876 estimated it not later than 6th century. Sankalia states that the temple belongs to 5th century but not earlier than Uparkot caves of Junagadh based on the Kahu-Jo-Darro stupa of Mirpurkhas. The temple is generally dated to late 6th century (575-600 CE). K. V. Soundara Rajan assigned the first half of the 7th century. The most probable date considered now is the last quarter of 6th century Maitraka period to the first half of the 7th century. The temple is protected monument by Archeological Survey of India and is designated as Monument of National Importance. The temple has a square plan to which were added bricked double courtyards centuries later. The temple was bigger and included a mandapa and a roofed pradakshina-patha, but most of it was damaged and has fallen away leaving a peculiar looking skeletal structure. Of two courtyards, the inner courtyard is mostly broken. It was 35 feet 2 inches square with bay on the east side 18 feet 4 inches by 7 feet 3 inches. It may have served as parikrama path so it is sandhara. type of temple. The basement of it was decorated on all four sides by one niche in centre and one each at the corners. These are empty, but likely had sculpture inside. There are two figures of deities in yellow stone inside the shrine. It cannot be decided who are they exactly. They are locally known as Rama and Lakshaman.