Modhera

About:

• Modhera will be India’s first village to become a net renewable energy generator.
• It will be the first modern village to have a solar-based ultra-modern electric vehicle charging station.
• It is India’s first grid-connected megawatt-hours (MWh) scale battery energy storage system.
• People in Modhera would be saving 60% to 100 % on electricity bills.
• The heritage lighting and 3-D projection at the Sun Temple would operate on solar energy.
• The 3-D projection will inform visitors about the history of Modhera.

Modhera Sun Temple

• The Modhera Sun Temple was made by King Bhima I of the Chalukya dynasty in the early 11th century.
• It is a temple made to honour the Sun God in Modhera village of Mehsana district on the bank of River Pushpavati.
• The temple is designed in such a way that during every equinox, the first ray of the rising sun would fall on a diamond placed on the head of the Sun God. This would also light up the shrine with a golden glow.
• The Sabha Mandap stands on 52 pillars, signifying the 52 weeks in a year. There are carvings of the sun on the walls to show its unity with air, water, earth and space.
• In 2014, Modhera Sun Temple entered the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
• It enjoys the same significance as other two well-known sun-temples in Kashmir (Martand) and Orissa (Konark).
• The Gujarat Tourism hosts a three-day dance festival every year, known as the Uttarardha Mahotsav, at the temple every January after Makar Sankranti festival.

Source : All India Radio